Big Brother
by zHamster
Summary: Mukuro is being chased by the Barbaro Famiglia. By chance, he is adopted as Nagi's brother. Together, they have to avoid the mafia, until they meet the Vongola. Au, 6996 sibling love.
1. Attack

**First fanfic. Please read and review, suggestions are very welcome.**

**Disclamer: KHR is owned by Akira Amano.**

**Note: Nagi and Mukuro are 9 and 12 years old here, respectively.**

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><p>Nagi was sitting in a corner playing with her pet cat, Yuki, when her parents came home. She paid it no heed. Even when they came home, her parents never even talked to her. They always worked late, and when they came home, they were always busy with their own affairs. The servants bowed when Nagi's parents walked in.<p>

Nagi looked in surprise as she saw a boy, not much older than her, following them in. The boy had blue hair and mismatched eyes. Nagi stared at him with wide eyes. Noticing the girl's gaze, he looked at Nagi with a smile, who blushed and looked away.

"This is our new son. Aradate Mukuro." Nagi felt small tears forming on her eyes. They had finally decided to replace her. They had always wanted a son, but instead they got a daughter.

"Ah..." Yuki jumped out of Nagi's arms and padded away. Even her beloved cat no longer wanted her. Nagi sat crying into her sleeve while her parents talked about their new adopted child, completely forgetting that they still had Nagi. She didn't know how long she cried.

xxx

Nagi felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey." She looked up, half of her hoping to see her parents, the other half knowing it was impossible. The boy with blue hair knelt down beside her, smiling. "A-ah! H-hello," Nagi said, surprised to see him. She realized that he still had his hand on her shoulder. "Kufufufu... you seem to blush often," he chuckled, amused. Her cheeks turned redder. "It's something I inherited," she murmured.

"My name is Rokudo Mukuro. It's a pleasure to meet you." the boy said, smiling even wider. Nagi couldn't look at Mukuro without her face feeling hot. Her parents and servants almost never smiled. "I'm Aradate Nagi. I-it's nice to meet you." she replied quietly.

This girl was so amusing. She was so innocent. Every time he smiled at her, she would blush. Mukuro could tell she had the potential to become an illusionist when he first saw her. It was strange that such a shy, gentle girl could be the daughter of two brash, arrogant people. Her parents hadn't said anything about a daughter. However, Mukuro knew that this girl called Nagi would be useful.

His train of thought was interrupted by a soft voice. "U-umm... Rokudo Mukuro-san..." Rokudo Mukuro-san? "Just Mukuro is fine... Nagi," Mukuro broke in. Nagi looked up in surprise. He nodded, grinning.

"T-then... M-mukuro, you're going to be living here now, right?" Nagi asked, trying to hide a faint blush. Mukuro chuckled and answered, "Indeed. I can keep you company from now on." Nagi's face turned bright red, but she couldn't help but to feel happy.

xxx

Two months passed. Nagi was happy to have a person to interact with and Mukuro was pleased with his new little sister. It was nighttime, and the whole family was at home. Everyone had just finished dinner.

There was a loud knock. Nagi heard the servant open the door. A gunshot shook air. Nagi froze in shock of the loud noise. She saw Mukuro tense. "Mukuro?" Then she saw many large men in black suits enter the room. Mukuro pulled her suddenly behind a cabinet. She would have yelped if he hadn't covered her mouth at that moment.

xxx

They were here for him. Mukuro had enough sense to hide Nagi and himself. He pulled her into an embrace so she couldn't see what was happening. Nagi blushed and tried to pull away in shock, but he was firm. All of the men were holding weapons. Mukuro saw pistols, knives, and rifles.

"Where's the boy?" demanded the man whom Mukuro assumed was the leader. All weapons were pointed at their parents. A servant tried to run away and was shot. Nagi looked up at Mukuro in fear and confusion. She had no idea what was happening behind her. Mukuro never intended for her to know.

Their parents were genuinely scared. The father spoke up. "Do you mean Mukuro?" The leader walked up to him, pointed the gun at his face, and growled, "Where is he?" Crap. Mukuro and Nagi could hide from the attackers, but their parents could see them. "Over there! He's behind the cabinet!" his mother cried. Fool. Did she think that they would spare her? It was too late, however. Both parents were already dead.

xxx

Nagi couldn't help it when she heard her parents yell. She whipped around and froze. She had never seen blood in such large amounts before. She heard Mukuro whispering angrily. Many large men towered over them now. "Get up. Boy, you're coming with us."

Nagi hesitated. They were trying to take Mukuro away. Everyone else was already dead or dying. Who did she have left? Just as the man reached a large hand towards Mukuro, Nagi jumped up. Several bullets just barely missed her. A knife sliced her right eye. She was kicked in the stomach, sending her against the cabinet.

Nagi felt pain everywhere. She tasted metal in her mouth. Even at the end of her short, sad life, she was useless. The last sound she heard was Mukuro shouting her name, and she drifted away into darkness.


	2. Namimori

**2nd chapter! Thanks to Frost190 and iceecream456 for reviewing!**

**Anyway, enjoy, please read and review.**

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><p>Mukuro looked down at his wounded sister. He could hardly believe that the little, shy girl had jumped to his defense in front of Mafiosos. He chuckled to himself. Her efforts were not in vain.<p>

xxx

"_Nagi!" The men in front of him were no less surprised as he was. Nagi had known Mukuro for two months, yet she had risked her life to save him. No one saw Mukuro's right eye change to display the character 'one'. "Kufufufufu… I will let you experience a living nightmare." None of the Mafiosos were expecting it. None of them left the room alive._

xxx

Nagi didn't die from the encounter, but she lost an eye and damaged several of her organs. Mukuro had no choice but to use his illusions to allow her body to work properly. Her right eye was bandaged. She was still unconscious.

Carrying a girl and running away at the same time was troublesome. They were spending the night in an old, abandoned shed. Mukuro stroked Nagi's cheek gently. He wondered how she was affected by the incident.

He saw her eyes move. "Nagi? Are you awake?" Mukuro said quietly. Nagi's eyes opened slowly, and she looked straight up at Mukuro with a blank stare. "Hmm? Are you alright, Nagi?" Silence.

A quiet whisper broke the silence. "W-who… who are you?" Mukuro's suspicions were confirmed. He looked at the trembling girl in his arms. "Kufufu… how troublesome," he whispered to himself. He smiled at Nagi. "Me? I'm Rokudo Mukuro."

Nagi's hands gripped Mukuro's shirt suddenly. "I-I can't remember…" Mukuro sighed and placed a hand on her back. "Would you like me to tell you? Your past isn't all that pleasant." Nagi hesitated. "Kufufu… I suppose I can condense it for you, if you'd like. Just what you need to know," Mukuro added. The girl nodded.

"I suppose you could call me your older brother. There was an… incident, not long ago. Right now, the mafia is chasing both of us. We have to stay in hiding for now." Nagi looked at Mukuro with an eye full of confusion and fear. Mukuro patted her head gently. "You don't need to worry, I'm here. Go to sleep now. We have to wake up early tomorrow."

"Ah… I-I have one more question," she whispered. "M-my… what's my name?" Mukuro paused for a moment before answering, "Chrome. Chrome Dokuro." Mukuro watched as the fragile little girl went to sleep. Nagi was the name that her unloving parents had given her. "Kufufu… I'm getting too carried away," Mukuro said to himself before lying down to sleep.

xxx

The next morning, Chrome was woken up by a headache. She grasped her head with both hands and sat up. "Hmm? Are you alright… Chrome?" Chrome looked up at Mukuro, who was standing in front of her. "Ah… I'm okay, Mukuro." She stopped. Had she just said Mukuro? Chrome blushed. "I-I mean-" Mukuro laughed and replied, "Mukuro is fine, Chrome. Now, we must get going." He reached out a hand. Chrome hesitated before taking it.

After days of running, they were exhausted. Mukuro had underestimated the mafia. They were constantly on the lookout, and would show up unexpectedly. Chrome trying hard to keep up, but she was slowed down by hunger. One morning, they arrived at Namimori Town.

xxx

"I believe it is safe here," Mukuro told Chrome as they walked down the quiet street. There were very few people walking around. When they approached the corner, 3 men stepped in front of them. Chrome almost yelled in surprise. Mukuro looked up at the men calmly.

"Heh, you kids shouldn't be walking around alone," one of the men said with a smirk, "You never know what'll happen." The thugs surrounded Mukuro and Chrome. The biggest thug stepped up to Mukuro and growled, "Give up your money, brat." Mukuro only grinned.

As Mukuro had anticipated, the big man was angered by his attitude. "Damn brat!" He swung his fist at the boy, expecting a cry of pain any moment. Mukuro grinned. These men were just common thugs. They stared in shock as Mukuro stopped the large fist with his small hand. Only Chrome could see the purple aura on his right eye.

All three of the thugs were too scared to run. A trident materialized in Mukuro's fist. "Now, I suggest you run while you can." The leader, however, chose pride over common sense. Mukuro heard Chrome's cry as the man pulled her away.

"D-don't you care what happens to her!" the man bellowed. Chrome looked at Mukuro with fear in her eye. Mukuro gave him a deadly glare. The thug picked up Chrome and ran for his life. Chrome yelped in surprise. Mukuro's eye changed to a 'one', and he was ready to kill when something exploded.

"Che! Picking on little girls now? Cowards." Someone spat on the ground. "Now, now, no need to be so violent. Are you alright?" Chrome felt herself being picked up. She opened her eyes and saw a black-haired boy looking down at her, smiling. "Ah, good. Nice to meet you, my name's Yamamoto Takeshi."


	3. Vongola

**Chapter 3! I'll update often. Thank you, Forever27 for reviewing!**

**Yamamoto, Gokudera, and Tsuna are 11 years old.**

**Also, I'm having trouble deciding whether this should be romance love or sibling love. I think I'm going with sibling, but I may change my mind. Thoughts?**

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><p>The thugs now had no doubts. All three of them ran in some direction, as long as they could get away from these dangerous kids. None of them dared look back.<p>

Chrome blushed as the boy put her down. "U-Umm… thank you…" she muttered. The silver-haired boy looked away with his hands in his pockets. "If you're going to thank us, at least speak louder," he said, more to himself than to Chrome. Then they noticed a brunette running towards them.

xxx

"Yamamoto! Gokudera-kun! What happened?" he said, panting. "Ah! Tenth!" the silver-haired boy exclaimed. "Oh? 'Tenth'?" interrupted Mukuro, startling everyone.

"Ah! Mukuro!" Chrome smiled. Yamamoto laughed. "Hello! I'm Yamamoto Takeshi, nice to meet you, Mukuro! That's Gokudera and Tsuna." Mukuro was amused by the boy's overwhelming optimism, but he didn't say anything. "Hey, let the Tenth and I introduce ourselves, baseball idiot!" yelled Gokudera. "I'm Gokudera Hayato, the Tenth's right hand man!"

"Oh?" Mukuro mused. "Then the other one must be the 'Tenth'?" Tsuna waved his hands in denial. "N-N-No! I told you guys, I don't want to be a mafia boss!" Tsuna wailed. Then he realized he had a sharp trident being pointed at him. "Kufufufufu… mafia boss?" Mukuro said, glaring at Tsuna with a threatening smile on his face. "Bastard!" yelled Gokudera, pulling out dynamite, ready to throw them at Mukuro. "What're you doing to the Tenth!"

"Hiiiiieee! What did I do!" Tsuna whimpered as he stumbled back. He was promptly kicked in the face. "Useless-Tsuna. Stand up for yourself," said a young voice. Tsuna got up rubbing his cheek. "Ow! R-Reborn!" Mukuro looked with interest at the small, black figure on the ground, next to the pathetic, sobbing boy. Baby?

xxx

Chrome was surprised. She knelt down and looked at the little kid. "Baby?" she wondered out loud. Yamamoto chuckled and also knelt down. "Hey, kid," he greeted.

Reborn looked up at Chrome and Mukuro. "Ciaossu!" he said, tilting his fedora up. Chrome smiled and replied, "Hello, baby. It's nice to meet you." Mukuro withdrew his trident from Tsuna. "Tell me, baby, are you part of the mafia as well?" asked Mukuro, feigning friendliness. Reborn glared at Mukuro, letting him know that his façade wouldn't fool the baby.

"Ha! Of course Reborn-san is in the mafia! He's the greatest hitman from the Vongola Famiglia!" shouted Gokudera with pride. Chrome suppressed a giggle. These were very interesting people. Gokudera and Mukuro exchanged glares. Yamamoto watched smiling, and Tsuna was frozen with fright.

_Grrrrrrrr…_

Chrome's cheeks turned a deep scarlet and she and looked away. Her stomach interrupted the moment, and an uncomfortable silence followed. Yamamoto's laugh broke it. "Stupid baseball idiot!" yelled Gokudera, blushing faintly. Chrome was so embarrassed she thought she would cry right then and there.

"Do you have a death wish, Yamamoto Takeshi?" The same trident that threatened Tsuna was now pointed at Yamamoto. Yamamoto looked at the trident in surprise, oblivious to his mistake. Reborn pointed his pistol at Mukuro. "Put it down, Mukuro. You two can eat at Tsuna's house," said Reborn.

"E-E-E-Eh? My house?" yelled Tsuna. Mukuro stared at Reborn for a moment before putting away his trident. "Kufufufu… I must be insane to trust a Mafioso, but we don't have much other choice," said Mukuro. After bidding farewell to Yamamoto and Gokudera, Tsuna led the two siblings to his house, sobbing to himself the whole way.

xxx

"I'm so proud of you, Tsu-kun! You're making friends so quickly!" his mother exclaimed when he introduced Mukuro and Chrome. Tsuna laughed nervously. Friends? Mukuro had tried to kill him. He could still feel Mukuro's dangerous aura. He almost expected to see a trident any second. Instead, he saw Mukuro smile brightly. "Thank you very much, okaasama*, for allowing us to eat here," said Mukuro, sounding like a completely different person. He ignored Tsuna's skeptical looks.

Tsuna looked at Chrome, who was unfazed by Mukuro's strange behavior. "So polite!" said Nana, delighted. "Both of you can eat as much as you want!" Chrome blushed ever so slightly.

xxx

Dinner satisfied everyone except for Tsuna, who was still uncomfortable sitting with Mukuro. "Mukuro-kun, Chrome-chan, do you two have somewhere to sleep for tonight?" Nana asked, cleaning the table. Mukuro answered, "Yes," at the same time as Chrome said, "No." The atmosphere tensed.

Nana however, thought nothing of it. "Well, we have a guestroom with two beds if you two want to stay," she said before proceeding to wash the dishes. "Thank you. We will consider it," Mukuro replied as politely as possible. Tsuna, Mukuro, and Chrome left for the living room.

xxx

"So… are you two going to be staying here tonight?" Tsuna asked. All eyes were on Mukuro as he contemplated the difficult decision. "Mukuro… can we… stay here tonight?" Chrome requested timidly. Mukuro looked at Chrome, still deciding.

"Okay then." Chrome was slightly surprised, but she still felt happy. Tsuna, on the other hand, wasn't feeling as joyful. "Eh… Mukuro… you won't murder me in my sleep or something, right?" Tsuna asked nervously. Mukuro only smirked. The 11-year old boy was not going to get any sleep.

"Ow!" Tsuna was kicked onto the floor from the couch. Chrome looked in concern while Mukuro chuckled. "Don't worry, No-Good Tsuna. I'm here to make sure no one does anything suspicious," assured Reborn, who was sitting where Tsuna had been a moment ago. "You don't have to kick me to tell me that, Reborn!"


	4. Prefect

**Chapter 4, enjoy! Please read and review, feedback is always appreciated.**

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><p>"The Barbaro Famiglia?" said Reborn over the phone, his mafia encyclopedia opened in front of him. "I see. I'll call again if I need anything else." Reborn his cell phone and put it away. "And you can stop hiding… Mukuro."<p>

The boy materialized from the shadows. "Very sharp, baby," he teased. Reborn ignored it. "Why are you wanted by the Barbaro Famiglia?" Reborn asked darkly. Mukuro smiled. "Kufufu… you expect me to answer the questions of a Mafioso?" Reborn pointed his pistol at Mukuro.

"Threaten me all you want. But if you were able to get background on me, I'm sure you can answer all of your own questions," Mukuro added. "Arrivederci." He disappeared as abruptly as he came, leaving Reborn alone in the attic.

xxx

Chrome lay on the bed, thinking about the people she'd met that day. The boss's mother had welcomed them without a second thought. Chrome could still see her bright, warm smile. The boss's friends, as well. Yamamoto and Gokudera had saved her, even though they hadn't even met yet. The boss himself, Sawada Tsunayoshi, had been very accepting.

Chrome shifted on her bed, confused. "Still awake, my dear Chrome?" Chrome turned to look at Mukuro, who was sitting on his bed. "Yes," she answered. After a short pause, Chrome sat up to face Mukuro. "I was thinking about these people," Chrome started slowly. "They're all so… nice."

Mukuro seemed to be thinking before saying, "Kufufufu… they are quite unique." Chrome smiled at the description. Then his expression darkened. "But you must remember, never trust a Mafioso. It will only hurt you."

xxx

"I'm going to school now!" yelled Tsuna as he ran out the door waving. "Bye, Tsu-kun!" his mother shouted as she turned to the two siblings. "Since you two don't have school today, feel free to stay here, if you'd like," she offered with a smile. Chrome nodded and said, "Thank you very much."

xxx

"There isn't much to do today," Mukuro yawned. A smirk spread across his face. "Chrome, would you like to visit Namimori Elementary School today?" Chrome looked up in surprise. "Visit?" she asked. "But-"

"It's fine, if you want to, dear Chrome. It can be arranged," Mukuro assured with a hint of mischief in his voice. "No one will notice us there." Chrome smiled obliviously. "Okay then."

xxx

Chrome and Mukuro strolled through the empty hallways. Mukuro had used his illusions to make sure no one saw them. Chrome was absorbed by the strange environment. Mukuro stopped and pulled her over to a door. "This is Sawada Tsunayoshi's classroom," he said. Chrome looked with wonder at the many kids in the class. Mukuro snickered as the teacher scolded at the future mafia boss.

"What are you doing here? You should be in class." They turned around to see a boy glaring at them. This was no ordinary kid, to see through the illusions. Mukuro surveyed the boy carefully. Chrome clung to Mukuro's arm in fright. Murderous intent emanated from the angry boy. Could he be mafia?

The boy brought out a pair of tonfas and charged at Mukuro. "I'll bite you to death." Mukuro pushed Chrome aside as he brought out his trident. The blow was harder than he had expected. Chrome watched as the two boys clashed their weapons furiously. The door of the classroom burst open. "Hey! Stop making so much noise! I'm trying to-" The teacher froze in shock as he saw weapons.

xxx

The whole class ran out into the hallway to see what the commotion was. Murmurs and screams added to the noise of the battle. "H-H-Hibari-san! And… M-M-M-Mukuro!" Tsuna yelled at the top of his lungs, as frightened as he was surprised. Gokudera instinctively pulled out a handful of dynamite. "What's the pineapple bastard doing here?" Yamamoto was clearly amused, and only laughed.

Chrome got over her shock and was now worried. She ran towards Mukuro and Hibari. "Wait! Please stop!" she yelled at the two boys. She didn't notice that she ran straight into the path of Mukuro's trident.

_Clang._

Chrome opened her eyes slowly. She saw Hibari looming over her and felt her face heat up. A drop of blood fell onto her arm. A cut on Hibari's forehead was beginning to bleed. "Chrome!" Mukuro knelt down beside her, a worried expression on his face.

Then she realized it. Chrome had carelessly run into the middle of the fight and Hibari had saved her. Hibari gently placed her onto the ground and stood up. "Though I am reluctant to say this, thank you for saving her." Hibari ignored the illusionist and picked up his tonfas. There was silence as he started to walk away, ignoring the blood dripping down his face.

"A-ah! Please wait!" Hibari stopped, but didn't turn around. Chrome gulped. "Thank you very much," she said. The boy waited for a few seconds before leaving. Mukuro helped her stand up. "I'm sorry, my dear Chrome. Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded.

Mukuro faced the silent class. "I suppose nothing happened here… right?" He chuckled. "If word of this got out, it wouldn't be convenient… for you or me, if you know what I mean." The teacher understood. He quickly ushered the students back into class, and with one last glance at Mukuro, he shut the door.

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><p><strong>Note: Hibari is 12 years old.<strong>


	5. War

**Chapter 5! Sorry for a slightly longer wait and slightly shorter chapter. It was hard writing this particular one.**

**Anyway, I think it's going to be sibling love from here. And the "1896" from last chapter... I don't plan on continuing it. I just figured Hibari was that kind of person. If anything, just a few hints here and there. Well, enjoy the chapter, reviews are appreciated greatly.**

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><p>Tsuna ran home after school. "I'm back, Mom!" He went straight into the living room and found Mukuro and Chrome reading. "Mukuro! Why were you at school today?" Tsuna yelled. Mukuro looked up innocently. "I was interested. Do you not want me there?" he replied as if nothing had happened.<p>

Tsuna stared at Mukuro. "You fought with Hibari-san in the middle of the hallway and then threatened my teacher!" Mukuro shrugged. "That wasn't the plan," he admitted. "But the boy saw through my illusions and attacked me. What was I supposed to do?" Tsuna sighed and left for his room.

Chrome watched him leave and said, "Do you think that was a little harsh?" Mukuro chuckled before continuing his reading.

xxx

_Somewhere in Japan..._

"Boss!" a loud, whiny voice complained. "We've been waiting for months now! It's so boring!"

A slightly deeper voice chuckled. "Stop whining, Cyrus. But he's right, boss. We haven't heard anything in the past two weeks. I think we should do this."

A short silence followed. Then a deep, powerful voice spoke up. "Alright then." The others shifted with excitement. "Roland, Rayner, I entrust the task to the two of you."

Several objections were silenced by the bang of a fist. "Yes, boss. We'll be back soon."

xxx

"Why did you call up a meeting, Reborn?" Tsuna asked. He was sitting in his living room with Mukuro, Chrome, Gokudera, and Yamamoto. Mukuro leaned forward. "Indeed, baby. I have things to do," he said.

"This has to do with the Vongola Famiglia," Reborn answered. Tsuna whimpered, Gokudera perked up, and Mukuro laughed. "Then this has nothing to do with us. Come, Chrome, we're leaving," he scoffed.

Reborn fired a shot from his pistol. "I'm not finished yet, Mukuro. This also has to do with you." Chrome looked at Mukuro, silently asking him to stay. "Fine then," Mukuro surrendered.

"The Barbaro Famiglia has declared war on the Vongola." Mukuro tensed and glared at the baby. Gokudera stood up, slammed the table, and shouted, "Then we'll teach them what happens when someone messes with the Vongola!"

Yamamoto smiled. "Haha, is this that mafia role-playing game, kid? Sound interesting!" Mukuro laughed, winning everyone's stare. "This is no longer a game, Yamamoto Takeshi. This is war."

xxx

Tsuna rubbed his head. "Ah… this isn't good!" he wailed. "What if they attack?" Yamamoto grinned. "I guess we'll have to fight them, right?" he laughed. Gokudera agreed with excitement.

Mukuro stopped and turned to face the three. "Now, may I ask why you're following us?" he asked irritably. Gokudera held up a fist. "Reborn-san has instructed us to stay together for the time being! It's for the Tenth's sake!" he yelled passionately. If it wasn't for the Tenth, he would have never agreed to stay with Mukuro.

"Ah! Sawada! We've found you!" Mukuro sighed as two more boys joined the party. He and Chrome walked off, away from the gathering crowd.

xxx

Tsuna blinked. "Eh? Ryohei-sempai and Lambo?" Gokudera was clearly unhappy and looked away. Lambo groaned. "I didn't wanna come, but he dragged me here," he complained, pointing a thumb at the excited boy next to him.

Ryohei made fists with his hands. "We got extremely weird letters in the mail!" he screamed. "It told us to gather at your house at seven o' clock!" Tsuna looked at his watch. "Seven? It's only four, lawn head!" Gokudera hollered before anyone else could correct the boxer.

"It's okay, Gokudera. Earlier is better." Reborn hopped onto Yamamoto's shoulder. "Now that you're here." He took out a small black box and opened it. Seven metallic rings glittered in the bright sunlight. "Vongola is in danger. These are the Vongola Rings. Don't lose these rings, no matter what."

xxx

Chrome tugged Mukuro's sleeve gently. "Mukuro, where are we going?" They were walking away from the houses and buildings of Namimori.

Mukuro looked down at Chrome. "You haven't learned how to use illusions yet. That's why we're here. I'm going to teach you." They stopped in front of a large area. A dark, abandoned building sat in the middle of the lot.

Chrome looked at a small, rotting wooden sign. It was barely legible anymore, but it read, 'Welcome to Kokuyo Land'.

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><p><strong>Note: Ryohei and Lambo are 12. Little crybaby Lambo is so much more trouble.<strong>


	6. Fight

**New chapter. I probably won't be updating as often now, but I'll try my best.**

**Read and review, please!**

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><p>"Are you excited, Rayner?"<p>

The moon was full that night. Two shadowy figures stood on top of a building. One of them snorted.

"Like hell I would be. I expected to be fighting. But kidnapping? If it wasn't the boss's direct orders, I wouldn't be here right now."

This warranted a chuckle from the other person. They waited a few seconds before leaving.

xxx

Chrome woke up with a start. She looked down and, instead of the same white bed she had slept on for several nights, she saw a red couch. Chrome sighed with relief. This was Kokuyo Land.

After practicing for hours, Chrome could wield a trident and form basic illusions. She had been so tired that Mukuro offered to carry her all the way back. In the end, they had decided to stay.

"Good morning, my dear Chrome."

Mukuro looked down at Chrome, smiling. Chrome returned the smile.

"Good morning, Mukuro."

xxx

Tsuna groaned as he sat down on the ground. "Reborn, why do I have to train, anyway?" he complained. Being shot constantly by dying will bullets was tiring.

"You never know when they'll attack, Tsuna. You have to be ready to defend Namimori," Reborn replied. "But you can have the rest of the day off. I have things to do. Ciao!"

Tsuna watched as Reborn made a big leap and disappeared. "Why would they attack Namimori?" Tsuna wondered out loud. He scratched his head in thought.

xxx

Mukuro sighed as he closed the creaky old door behind him. Chrome had fallen asleep again, no doubt exhausted. He stood there, deep in thought. Had the Barbaro Famiglia tracked his interactions with the Vongola? Was that why they had declared war on them?

"Ciaossu, Mukuro." The familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. Mukuro looked down at the baby irritably. "I have things I want to discuss with you," Reborn continued, ignoring Mukuro's angry glare. "I think it would benefit you as well. Information for information."

Mukuro stared at Reborn for a moment. Then he grinned. "You really are something else, baby. Fine, then. Follow me, we'll talk somewhere else." With that, he walked down the old hallway, with Reborn following him.

xxx

The moon was rising into the sky as Chrome and Mukuro made their way back to the Sawada household. Chrome slept for hours after she had went back to sleep. It was getting darker by the moment. The two walked in silence. The houses and buildings ofNamimoriTownwere still a good distance away.

Chrome looked at Mukuro, who seemed different. His eyes seemed to show a hint of amusement that usually wasn't there. She smiled to herself with a light pink blush. She looked at her feet as she walked as not to let Mukuro see.

Mukuro slowly stopped in his tracks. Chrome looked up in confusion. Two people stood not too far ahead, watching them. It wasn't too dark yet, but Chrome couldn't see them clearly.

The two figures, seeing that Chrome and Mukuro had stopped walking, took a few steps forward. They were two boys. The taller one had red hair, neatly combed back, and wore a black vest. His dark-haired companion had a navy blue t-shirt.

The redhead smiled, and for a moment, he almost seemed friendly. Almost. "It's nice to finally meet you in person, Mukuro-san. We're here to bring you back."

xxx

Mukuro immediately brought out his trident and stepped in front of Chrome. He gritted his teeth and glared at the two boys. "Who are you?" he demanded, keeping his voice as calm as possible. He signaled for Chrome to step back.

"My bad," the boy replied, almost sounding sincere. "My name is Roland. My companion is Rayner." Roland smiled, as if he were making fun of Mukuro.

Rayner was not nearly as happy as his friend. He brandished his sword and pointed it at Mukuro. "Enough talk. You and me. Let's fight, one-on-one."

Mukuro managed a grin. "One-on-one? You certainly are confident," he mocked. "But if you insist." Mukuro gripped his trident with his right hand. His eye displayed a 'one'.

xxx

The ground split, and fire burst out of the crevices. Rayner was unfazed by the illusions. He ran straight at Mukuro, sword ready. Mukuro stared at the ring on his opponent's finger, glowing with blue flames. He had never seen anyone fight with rings before. The flame was just as unfamiliar.

Rayner's sword clashed with Mukuro's trident. Mukuro's eye had changed to a 'four'. He swung his weapon at Rayner's head. Much to his surprise, the swordsman caught the trident with his free hand and slashed with his sword.

"Behind you." Mukuro's illusion dissipated as it was sliced by the sword. Rayner whipped around to defend himself, but he didn't need to.

Mukuro just barely dodged a bullet of flames from Roland's gun. "Dammit, Roland!" Rayner barked. "I don't need your help!"

Roland smirked. "Of course. You can't win against us, Mukuro-san, especially not without a ring," he said. Without warning, he pointed his pistol at Chrome. "Bye."

"Chrome!" Mukuro yelled. He couldn't do anything in time. He watched in horror as Chrome shrieked and braced herself. Roland grinned and rubbed his chin. Rayner clenched his fists in anger.

"_Cheetah Channel!_"

Mukuro wasn't alone as he stared in shock. Chrome was knocked out of the path of the bullet. Needles punctured the ground right next to Rayner.

"Kufufufu… you're late," Mukuro said, masking his worry and shock behind sarcasm. "Ken. Chikusa."

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><p><strong>Ken and Chikusa are 12 years old, Roland and Rayner are around the same age as the Guardians (10-12).<strong>


	7. Ring

**Sorry for taking so long, but Chapter 7 is here!**

**Anyway, please read and review, suggestions are appreciated as always.**

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><p>Chrome lay on the ground, shocked and blushing madly, but otherwise unharmed. Mukuro was relieved as he looked at his two friends. Chikusa pushed his glasses up. "Mukuro-sama," he muttered. Ken smiled to himself with pride.<p>

Roland laughed. "Just because you have allies now doesn't change anything," he sneered. He twirled his pistol with his right hand. "You're still weak."

"Oh? Really, now?" Mukuro smirked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Vongola Ring.

xxx

_"You want me to join the Vongola?" Mukuro laughed as the baby held out the Vongola Ring. "You know I despise the mafia, yet you are asking me to join?"_

_"You are the best option we have," Reborn replied. "The role of the mist guardian is to deceive."_

_Mukuro grinned at the thought. "Mafia is still mafia, whatever it is." He glared at Reborn. "There's no benefit for us. All we do is follow orders, do whatever dirty work the higher-ups want done."_

_"What about Chrome?" Mukuro stiffened at the sudden question._

_"What _about_ Chrome?" he whispered angrily. If the Vongola dared to hurt her, the tenth generation would be the last._

_Reborn looked straight into Mukuro's eyes, unflinching. "The Barbaro Famiglia. If they're coming after you, what about Chrome?" Mukuro stared at the baby intensely. "After all," he continued, "We don't know anything about their power and resources."_

_Mukuro rested his chin on his palm. "Are you suggesting that I leave Chrome under the Vongola's protection? Ridiculous." He had no intention of ever leaving Chrome in the hands of the mafia._

_"No. Tsuna may think otherwise, but he doesn't have the guts." Reborn got up and placed the ring into Mukuro's hand. "But the ring is important. Please keep it safe for now."_

_Mukuro stared at the serious baby in front of him. It was not like him to beg for anything. Finally, the illusionist sighed in defeat. "Fine then. You are very persistent, baby." He looked at the Vongola Ring of the mist in his palm. It felt heavy in his hand, and almost familiar. With one last glance, he slipped the ring into his pocket._

xxx

Mukuro slipped the ring onto his finger and ignited it. The purple flame looked similar to the blue flame on Rayner's finger. With a satisfied smile, he twirled his trident and slammed it on the ground.

Not even Roland could hide his shock as a column of fire exploded in front of him. He had expected an illusion, but the fire was more than that. The air was hot and dry in an instant. Ken howled and jumped into the air. Chrome could hardly tell it was an illusion anymore.

Rayner wiped sweat from his forehead. "What the hell? This is just an illusion!" he yelled, trying to convince himself.

Mukuro smiled and looked at his new ring. "Kufufufufu… no, this is not just an illusion. This is a real illusion."

xxx

Chrome watched as Mukuro clashed weapons with his opponents. His illusions were amazing, even more so than yesterday. Even his combat skills were on par with the swordsman. Yet Chrome was still weak. Mukuro was always there to protect her from everything.

She looked up at the two people who had saved her. Mukuro had called them Ken and Chikusa. "Umm…" Chrome wasn't sure how to say thank you. The one who had pushed her out of the way was not paying attention to her. The boy with the glasses had heard, and looked at her.

"I… thank you…" she murmured. Chikusa seemed to acknowledge it. Ken cocked his head to look at Chrome.

"Naa? What was that?" The way he scowled and stuck out his tongue when he talked was scaring Chrome. His voice was harsh. This Ken was the complete opposite of Mukuro.

"Ken… you're scaring her…" Chikusa muttered, pushing up his glasses. Ken looked away, looking as annoyed as ever. "Shut up, Kakipii!" he yelled, sticking his hands into his pockets.

Chrome was confused at Ken's behavior, but she shook it off and watched Mukuro's fight. He seemed to be having fun. The battle was chaotic. But even Mukuro couldn't stand up against two people at once for too long…

Then, as if answering her worries, a voice interrupted the fight. "Hey." Mukuro and Chrome were the only two who understood the new situation. "You're disturbing the peace of Namimori." There was no mistaking the metal tonfas. "I'll bite you to death."

xxx

Mukuro sighed. "Hibari Kyoya… It's nice to see you again so soon. Although, the circumstances aren't very pleasant."

Hibari glared at him. "Be quiet. We're not finished yet." He lifted up his tonfas for battle. "I'll bite you to death this time."

Roland's laugh cut through the tension. "That's no good. We need Mukuro-san back alive," he said with a grin. His guns were ready. "Let's make this quick."

Mukuro's trident met with the guns in a flash. "I agree."

Rayner snarled and swiped at Mukuro, only to be stopped by a tonfa. "So now you're teaming up with him?" Rayner said as he took another swipe with his blade, this time at Hibari.

Hibari's glare was darker than ever. "No. I wouldn't work with him if I died." With one quick movement, he smashed his tonfa on Rayner's face, knocking the swordsman onto the ground.

The boy stood up in pain, not bothering to pick up his sword. His brow furrowed in anger and he gritted his teeth. "Dammit!" Rayner grabbed another ring out of his pocket and ripped a chain off of it. Hibari's eyes widened at the strange action.

Roland immediately recognized the ring. "Rayner!" he snapped. "Don't you dare-" He had to raise an arm to block Mukuro's trident.

Rayner could care less about what Roland said at the moment. He was too angry to care. He would have shoved the ring onto his finger.

"Hibari-san! Mukuro! Chrome!" Tsuna and his guardians ran into view just in time.

It gave Roland the chance to smack Rayner in the back of the neck to render him unconscious. He picked up his friend's body and slung it over his shoulder. "So we meet, Vongola Decimo. So sad that I don't have time right now, but we will meet again."

With that, Roland disappeared into the shadows, leaving the Vongola Famiglia speechless.


	8. Promise

**Finally done, hopefully the wait was worth it! I'll try to update faster, but no guarantees.**

**Anyway, as always, please read and review, reviews and feedback are very much appreciated.**

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><p>Mukuro smiled at the Vongola Guardians. "You're late, Sawada Tsunayoshi," he said. "How useless of you."<p>

Tsuna was speechless. Gokudera rose to defend his boss. "Mukuro, you bastard! Take that back!" he yelled with fistfuls of dynamite ready to be lit.

For the first time, Ken stepped forward. "Hey, if you wanna hurt Mukuro-san, you'll have to fight me first, pyon." He held up several sets of teeth in his right hand. Chikusa stood next to Ken in silence, hand on glasses.

Gokudera and Ken exchanged glares. The former seemed ready to light his dynamite and the latter about to turn into a gorilla. Tsuna was ready to sob. Chrome watched worriedly from behind Ken. The only ones amused were Mukuro and Yamamoto, both smiling.

Hibari spoke up. "All of you are crowding," he said, glaring at Tsuna and Mukuro with his tonfas in hand. Mukuro chuckled and Tsuna shrieked in terror. Lambo cowered on the side, deciding whether or not to run away.

Before Hibari could say his signature line, Reborn hopped onto a nearby tree branch from somewhere higher up. "Ciaossu."

Hibari looked up and lowered his tonfas slightly. "Baby." Tsuna sighed in relief. He wouldn't be bitten to death just yet.

Reborn smirked. "Calm down, Hibari. Now, since you're all here now." He pulled his hat down gravely. "Those two are from the Barbaro Famiglia, aren't they… Mukuro?"

Mukuro dropped his smirk. "I believe so, yes." He didn't offer any other information.

It took a few moments for the information to register in everyone's mind. "Barbaro Famiglia?" Ryohei yelled. "What's that, to the extreme?"

As Gokudera lectured Ryohei, Tsuna asked, "They're here? In Namimori?" He was answered by a cold silence. When he finally understood, fear filled his eyes. "But!"

Reborn didn't wait for Tsuna to continue. "They're on par, if not better then all of you, even with the Vongola Rings. First things first, you have to learn how to fight with he rings. With the exception of Mukuro, that is."

Tsuna looked up. "Oh yeah… you said there were 6 Vongola guardians in total. There are Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto, Ryohei-sempai, and Lambo," he said while counting on his fingers. "Who are the other two?"

Reborn smirked and said nothing. Tsuna's gaze slowly shifted to Mukuro's hand, and then to Hibari, who was examining his Vongola Ring. Gokudera's jaw dropped in disbelief as he realized it as well. Tsuna blinked. "No way… Hibari-san and Mukuro are Vongola Guardians too!"

At the statement, both of the boys narrowed their gazes at Tsuna. "Don't group me with you," Hibari growled, lifting a tonfa.

Mukuro grinned, but did not ease up his glare. "Since when did I consider myself part of the mafia, Sawada Tsunayoshi?" He held his trident tightly with both hands.

Much to Tsuna's relief, Reborn cut in. "We need to prepare, in case the Barbaro Famiglia attacks soon. Until then, make sure everyone is safe. Ciao, ciao!"

xxx

After Reborn was gone, Hibari turned around and left, his jacket fluttering in the wind. Gokudera stepped up and cleared his throat. "Protecting the Tenth is of top priority!" he declared. "We should gather for a meeting and decide a plan!"

"No thank you." Mukuro smiled and turned to leave. Ken and Chikusa were ready to leave as well. Chrome looked at Gokudera's skeptical expression and suppressed a giggle.

"H-hey! Mukuro!" Gokudera yelled. "Hey! It's your duty as a Vongola guardian!" His voice trailed off when he realized his mistake.

Mukuro slowly stopped walking. Ken grinned supportively. He turned around and faced Gokudera. "My duty as a Vongola guardian? Are you trying to force me to follow orders?" he said teasingly.

Gokudera seemed to be deciding what to say. "Now, now," Yamamoto said. "Gokudera's just asking. But, I mean, if you're a player in this mafia game, you should come."

"Man, is this guy for real?" Ken muttered. Chrome smiled. She tugged Mukuro's sleeve softly. He looked down at her for a second, and seeing her expression, he sighed.

"I'll let it go this time, Gokudera Hayato," Mukuro said before turning around again. "But don't make the same mistake again." Ken grunted in disappointment.

Chrome looked back at the Vongola guardians. They were all visibly shocked, although Yamamoto had a different reason for being surprised. She smiled and turned around, silently thanking Mukuro.

"Ah, Mukuro-san, you should'a beat them up," Ken said with a whine.

Chikusa pushed up his glasses. "Ken… don't be so hot-headed."

Ken whipped around and said, "What was that, Kakipii? Who're you calling hot-headed?"

Mukuro smiled. "Ah yes… Chrome, this is Joshima Ken and Kakimoto Chikusa. Feel free to call them Ken and Chikusa."

Chrome bowed, much to everyone's surprise. "My name is Chrome Dokuro. Thank you very much for earlier, Ken, Chikusa," she said.

xxx

Mukuro sat down next to Chrome on the red sofa. "You haven't said very much since we got here," he said. "Is there anything you want, my dear Chrome?"

Chrome seemed to be thinking very hard. "I…" Mukuro smiled encouragingly. Chrome gulped. "Tomorrow, I want to go somewhere with Mukuro," she managed to say before her face turned bright red.

Mukuro blinked in surprise. "Go somewhere? What kind of place?" he asked after quickly composing himself.

Chrome looked up. "Somewhere… beautiful." Mukuro laughed to himself. For him to find a place on Earth that was beautiful was nearly impossible. Then he got an idea.

"If that's the only requirement, we can go right now," Mukuro said. Before Chrome could object, he placed a finger on his mouth as a signal to be quiet. "Just close your eyes."

As Chrome waited obediently, Mukuro closed his eyes for a moment, deep in thought. When his eyes opened, his right eye displayed a one.

xxx

Mukuro smiled as Chrome opened her eyes. She didn't speak for a few moments. He looked at his creation. The green grass swayed in the wind underneath their feet. Leaves rustled overhead, blocking some of the warm sunlight. The lake was a light blue shade, and looked pleasantly cool. No place in the human world could compare. Of course, it wasn't the same for Mukuro, being the creator.

"So?" Chrome's mouth opened, but no words came out. Mukuro grinned and looked at the open sky.

"It's really beautiful…" Chrome whispered. A tear gathered at the corner of her eye, but she quickly wiped it away. Mukuro pretended not to notice to save her from embarrassment. Chrome looked up. "Mukuro…" she said, sounding hesitant.

Mukuro looked at her with a warm smile. "You can say whatever you want when I'm here, Chrome," he coaxed with a soft voice.

Chrome looked into Mukuro's eyes as he said it. She averted her gaze, staring into the small lake. "I… I want to stay with Mukuro forever."

Mukuro stared at the shy little girl sitting next to him. The statement had taken him by surprise. It would be cumbersome if he made a promise he couldn't keep. But, looking at Chrome at that moment, he couldn't bring himself to say no.

Mukuro chuckled at put a hand on Chrome's head. "Of course, my dear Chrome. Why would you think otherwise? Now, you must be tired. Go ahead and sleep."

Chrome nodded happily, and soon she was asleep. Mukuro sighed to himself. "When did I become so soft…?"


	9. Arrival

**Chapter 9! I tried to get it done soon, so here it is.**

**Also, big thanks to the people that have favorited/alerted/reviewed, it really is inspiring. Please review, any suggestions and comments are welcome.**

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><p>"Mukuro-san! Where are you?" Ken hollered as he went through the hallways of the Kokuyo Healthy Land, checking every room along the way.<p>

Chikusa followed him, calm and collected, while Ken ran into every room and slammed every door. "Ken… don't barge into rooms like that."

Ken snarled as he ran up to another room. "We need to find-" He stopped with the door half open. Before Chikusa could look, Ken quickly closed the door.

Chikusa examined Ken's red face. "E-eh… we should just wait downstairs for now," Ken stammered, pointing down the hall. When Chikusa continued to look at him, Ken blushed more. "It's just kinda hot in here!" he protested.

Chikusa watched Ken storm down the hall and followed with a last look at the door. "Okay, then. We'll go with that story."

xxx

"Mmm…" Mukuro opened his eyes. He looked down and found Chrome leaning against his shoulder, breathing steadily. "I must have fallen asleep…"

"Chrome," he said, nudging the girl softly. "Chrome, wake up."

Chrome's eyes fluttered open. "Oh, Mukuro." Mukuro smiled, as bright as ever. That alone was enough to make her happy.

He chuckled to himself. Chrome's warm hands held Mukuro's tightly, but the girl didn't seem to notice it.

"Anyway, Chrome, we start training soon," Mukuro said. Chrome nodded eagerly.

xxx

"So in other words, disobeyed my strict orders, failed the mission, and came back late."

Roland and Rayner knelt down in front of the throne. "Yes, boss," they replied in unison.

"Heh, so Roland and Rayner were defeated by the Vongola… how pathetic."

"There were a lot of them, so I can understand losing the fight, but you were about to disobey the boss's orders? That's unforgivable."

"But really, I can't believe you just ran away after that. You should have kept fighting."

"That's idiotic. This isn't some heroic story. What's the use if you die in a fight?"

"Be quiet. You two have failed. There will be consequences." An uncomfortable silence filled the room. "But it doesn't matter. The job will be completed no matter what. This time, I'm going."

"W-what? Boss! Wait a minute! I wanna do something too!"

"Boss, are you sure? That's a pretty rash decision, I think we should think it over some more."

Roland stood up. "Boss! We can do this! Please, give us another chance!"

A wave of murderous intent filled the room. No one dared say another word. "No. All of us will be going. I've waited long enough. We'll leave today."

xxx

"I wonder if Chrome and Mukuro are okay…" Tsuna said absentmindedly. The four guardians looked up at him.

Yamamoto patted Tsuna on the back. "Of course they're fine, Tsuna," he assured. "Mukuro is pretty strong."

Not to be beaten by Yamamoto, Gokudera yelled, "Of course! Reborn-san wouldn't choose someone weak to be one of the Tenth's guardians!"

"Yeah," Ryohei added, "And he was alright when he fought those guys before. Don't worry, Sawada."

Lambo sighed. "You can't be sure. That was only because Hibari- ow!" Gokudera glared at the boy, daring him to continue. Lambo rubbed his arm sullenly. "Umm… I meant to say that he's as strong as Hibari."

Reborn, who was watching silently, smiled at the responses. "See, Useless-Tsuna, even your guardians have more faith than you do. But I'll keep an eye on them. If anything happens, I'll tell you."

Tsuna looked at his tutor, surprised at the strange attitude. "Yeah… thanks, you guys."

xxx

"Chrome, I think we should take a break." Chrome shook her head and slowly stood up, but Mukuro still watched her worriedly.

"B-but… I still can't make good illusions…" she protested. Chrome had always been a burden, and she went so far as to ask Mukuro to take care of her forever. The least she could do was learn how to protect herself.

"You're doing fine, Chrome. We can practice more tomorrow, but you should rest today," said Mukuro. Chrome looked away, uncertain whether she should obey or object. "It's fine. We'll go to Namimori today. You did say you wanted to go somewhere, right?"

Before Chrome could react, Mukuro took her by the hand and led her towards the exit. "M-Mukuro!"

"Ken, Chikusa, we're going to be outside for the rest of today." Ken looked up from his video game and nearly dropped it when he saw Chrome blushing and holding Mukuro's hand. Chikusa was the only one who noticed.

xxx

Mukuro sat down next to Chrome on the bench. The sun had only begun setting. "Did you enjoy the day, my dear Chrome?"

"Yes… there were so many people in the shopping district, and I've never seen baseball before," Chrome said, dazed by the experiences. "Yamamoto Takeshi-san is very good."

Mukuro smirked to himself. They'd paid another visit to Namimori Elementary, more successful than the last one, this time to watch the baseball game. Chrome had been unusually insistent about it.

"That's a relief," he said, standing up. "We should go back soon." A sudden wave of murderous intent made Mukuro swear under his breath.

"You." The prefect held his tonfas in both hands, but he was obviously restraining himself.

"Hibari Kyoya. Now is the worst possible time for you to show up." Mukuro turned around to face his rival. Of course, he was worried about Chrome's safety, but Hibari was proven to be a nicer person than he seemed. But Chrome didn't approve of their fights, which was even more of a problem. Nevertheless, he materialized his trident.

"I'll bite you to death."

xxx

Reborn sighed as the two began to fight. He wondered how Tsuna would manage the Vongola Famiglia with such brash guardians. Perhaps the boy would actually mature in a few years, when he actually succeeded the position as boss. Mukuro and Hibari were strong, though, they could beat the other guardians in a fight. There still was the problem of teaching Hibari how to use the Vongola ring.

As Reborn pondered the future of Vongola, he sensed a disturbance in the atmosphere. "Hmm…" He took out his cell phone and called the Sawada household.

xxx

"Tsu-kun! Reborn-chan wants to talk to you!" Nana called from downstairs. "He says it's important!"

"Okay!" Tsuna hurriedly picked up the phone. "Hello? Reborn?"

"If it's Reborn-san, then it's probably about them," Gokudera commented.

"Huh? Does that mean something happened to them, to the extreme?"

"I told you not to get your hopes up, and now- ow! Gokudera, stop that!"

"You don't know yet," Yamamoto pointed out. "Tsuna, what's happening?"

Tsuna listened intently to the phone. "Hibari-san! Again? …Huh? What do you mean, 'disturbance'? ...Okay then, we'll be there." He put the phone down and looked at his guardians, who were waiting for the news. "I don't really know what's going on, but Reborn wants us to go. He says they're near Namimori Elementary," Tsuna finished.

"Okay then!" Ryohei roared. "We'll get there in less than a minute, to the extreme!"

"Aw… I'm too tired to run," Lambo complained. "I'll walk."

"Come on, stupid cow! Reborn-san needs us there!" Gokudera hollered. "Let's go, Tenth!"

"Y-yeah!" With Ryohei in the lead, Tsuna and his guardians ran out the door, shouting goodbye to Nana. They headed towards the school…

xxx

"What're you doing? Fight me seriously." Hibari growled. He swiped at Mukuro furiously, annoyed that his rival didn't take him seriously enough to fight at full strength.

"Don't you notice it too, Hibari Kyoya?" said Mukuro, while blocking each attack with his trident. "Something's wrong."

Hibari did not let up. "I don't care. As long as I can bite you to death."

"My, my… how rude, to ignore us like this."

Mukuro's eyes widened at the voice. Hibari stopped fighting and looked up.

Seven people stood on top of a building, Roland and Rayner among them, neither of them happy in the face of the people who defeated them.

The man in the middle, a dark-haired adult, grinned. "It's great to see you again, Mukuro."


	10. Gone

**Chapter 10 is ready! Many many thanks to everyone that reviewed the last few chapters (namely, Frost90, Eiida-chan, Chocolate and caramel, and Prelude to Indigo). **

**I hope you enjoy, this idea has been in my head for a while, please read and review!**

**Note about the last chapter: By the "dark-haired adult", I mean in the 20's.**

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><p>Tsuna's group arrived, not too far from Mukuro, Hibari, and Chrome, but none of them spoke. Reborn watched from nearby, gun in hand.<p>

"Ah, and Vongola Decimo graces us with his presence," the man teased. "I must admit, I never would have expected Mukuro to become a guardian."

Roland and Rayner stood silently, and with them were four other boys. The seven landed on the concrete below gracefully.

The boy with teal hair smirked. "Ah~ I still can't believe you guys lost to these people," he chortled.

"What the hell do you mean, seaweed head?" Gokudera yelled. "Don't underestimate the Vongola, dammit!"

Mukuro scowled at the Barbaro Famiglia. "What are you doing here? Has the boss sent his son to do the dirty work?" He gripped his trident as tight as ever.

The man chuckled. "You misunderstand, Mukuro. I'm boss now. But, no warm welcome? We came all the way here fromItalyto see you, little brother."

xxx

All eyes were on Mukuro; even the Barbaro guardians seemed shocked. The boss smiled when he saw Mukuro's angry face.

"Man, boss, you didn't tell us you had a brother," the blond boy said. He had a red bandana over his head and a cigarette in his mouth.

"Eeeeeh? _Brother_?" Tsuna hollered. "Mukuro's the brother of a mafia boss!"

"Stop yelling, Sawada Tsunayoshi," Mukuro said quietly. Tsuna gulped in fear, as it was unusual for Mukuro to be so serious. "Don't call me that, Dante. You know that full well."

Reborn frowned. So there was something else going on between the Barbaro boss and Mukuro, and neither of them seemed like the type that would be willing to tell the truth about it.

"So sorry, Mukuro. I didn't mean to let that slip," Dante said nonchalantly. "But, either way, I'm going to have to ask you to come with us."

Mukuro forced a smile. "And what makes you think I'll listen to you?" As he lifted his trident, the other guardians also prepared to fight. Tsuna held his mittens tightly. Gokudera fiddled with the dynamite in his hand. Yamamoto leaned on his Shigure Kintoki happily. Ryohei readied his fists, and Lambo grudgingly adjusted his horns. Hibari was as ready as always, tonfas in hand.

Dante let out a laugh. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but now is not the time to fight." He smirked. In his arm was Chrome, trying to free herself.

"_Chrome!_" Mukuro tried to run forward, but Hibari blocked his path. "Get out of my way, Hibari Kyoya!" The prefect didn't move.

"Dammit, you cowards!" Gokudera barked. "Fight us fair and square!"

"That's extremely unfair!" Ryohei yelled. "It's against the rules to the extreme!"

Rayner and his white-haired companion were no less irritated, but they kept quiet. It was a brunette that spoke up. "Don't be so naïve. Real fights don't have rules; you just do whatever it takes to survive."

"So? What will it be, Mukuro?" Dante provoked. "If you come without a struggle, I'll let her go. It would be such a waste to see such a cute girl-"

"If you say another word, I'll kill you," Mukuro snarled. "I'll go. But release her first."

Chrome tried to protest, but Dante had a hand over her mouth. "You think I'm stupid? Besides, you're in no position to bargain," he said, ruffling Chrome's indigo hair.

With much effort, Mukuro calmly walked past Hibari, towards Dante and Chrome. Tsuna watched him remorsefully. "Mukuro…"

Dante smiled as Mukuro stopped in front of him. "That's a good boy." Chrome looked at Mukuro with a mixture of sorrow and guilt in her eye, but the boy avoided her gaze. "Arrivederci, then, Vongola."

The seven Mafioso disappeared with Mukuro, leaving Chrome alone. She stared off into the red sky as she fell into Hibari's arms, unconscious.

xxx

_Chrome..._

Chrome woke up with a start. She expected to be in Kokuyo Land, or in the guestroom in the Sawada household, with Mukuro smiling down at her. Instead, she saw a white hospital ceiling and several people looking down at her.

"Chrome! You're okay!" Tsuna exclaimed. "What a relief…"

"Really?" Ryohei said, jumping up from a chair. "That's extremely great!"

"See, Tsuna? I told you she'd be fine," Yamamoto chuckled.

Then Chrome remembered that Mukuro was no longer here, and it was all because she lacked the strength to break free from the Barbaro boss. She started to regret waking up at all.

"Don't linger on the past, Chrome." She looked over and saw Reborn, who looked at her encouragingly. "Besides, I have something important to tell you."

"Oh, Reborn, I didn't know you were here," said Tsuna. "What is it?"

"This." Reborn held out a ring, and all of them recognized it immediately. "I found it yesterday on the ground."

"Mukuro's ring…" Chrome pushed back tears that threatened to pour out of her single eye. "But… Reborn-san, why do you have it?"

Reborn looked at them gravely. "That is the question, isn't it… if you want my personal assessment, I can tell you." When Chrome and the guardians nodded, he continued.

"Well, first of all, abandoning the ring means two things; one, Mukuro may be saying that he is no longer part of the Vongola Famiglia; and two, we need to find a new guardian." Reborn waited for the information to sink in. A short silence filled the room.

"U-umm…" Tsuna scratched his head nervously. "So, what does all that mean?" Yamamoto, Ryohei, and Lambo admitted that they were just as confused.

Reborn sighed to himself. "He knows that you're too soft, Tsuna. He's telling you not to go rescue him."

Tsuna blushed and forced a laugh. He snuck a worried look at Chrome. She quickly wiped away a single tear that managed to escape.

"The second thing, he's telling us to find an illusionist that can be our new mist guardian," said Reborn. He looked Chrome in the eye. Tsuna and his guardians didn't notice. They exchanged confused glances.

"But, Reborn-san," Gokudera piped up. "How are we going to find someone else? Do you have someone in mind?"

"I thought you would know, in the least, Gokudera." Said boy scratched his cheek with embarrassment. "After all, she's right here."

As the guardians began to realize what Reborn meant, Chrome stared at the baby in shock. It was true that she was an illusionist to some degree, but accepting would mean she was replacing Mukuro. Was that really what he had wanted?

"Chrome, will you be our Vongola guardian of the mist?"

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><p><strong>Ahaha... It seems like a lot to put in one chapter to me. I guess, another hint of one-sided 1896, if you want to see it that way.<strong>

**I'm also thinking about revising the first couple of chapters, they really need it, in my opinion. Any thoughts?**


	11. Letter

**Ah, slightly longer chapter today. Thank you guys very much for the reviews and all!**

**Please read and review this chapter too, and enjoy!**

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><p><em>Never trust a Mafioso.<em> That was one of the things that Mukuro had told her. Yet here she was, deciding whether or not to join them.

Tsuna and his friends watched Chrome, waiting for an answer. "Umm… you know, Chrome, you don't have to be a guardian," Tsuna suggested meekly. "I mean, we can just be friends, it doesn't have to be about the mafia."

Friend. That was a word that Chrome had hardly ever heard before. "I-I…"

"It's okay, Chrome," said Reborn. "You don't have to decide now. You can think about it and tell us later."

Chrome nodded gratefully. "Okay."

xxx

"Now we're here," said Mukuro. "So tell me why you've gone through so much trouble to find me."

Dante smiled. "I thought you would know, Mukuro, being the same type of person as me. Have you really changed that much ever since you met that girl? Or are you playing dumb?" Mukuro answered with a glare, making the man laugh. "I'm surprised you couldn't figure it out yourself. It's simple. Revenge."

"Is that really your answer?"

"That and I figured I could take down the Vongola at the same time. Two birds with one stone, right?"

"And how exactly is this going to accomplish your goals? Are you simply going to kill me? If so, get on with it."

"Of course not. I'm not that nice of a human being, Mukuro. However, you will see in due time. The preparations are already made. Let the game begin."

xxx

Chrome led the way, followed by a cheery Yamamoto with a large box of sushi on his shoulder, a sulky Gokudera, and a nervous Tsuna.

"So… how far is Kokuyo Land, Chrome?" Tsuna asked. "Actually, where is it?"

Chrome pointed into the distance at the ancient building. "It's over there. That's Kokuyo Land."

Tsuna forced a laugh as he looked. It looked like it had been abandoned for years. It was hard to believe that anyone could live in it.

As they stepped into Kokuyo Healthy Land, Tsuna had an unsettling feeling. "Hey, anyone here?" Yamamoto called.

"Who's there?"

Tsuna shrieked when he saw a pair of eyes glowing in the darkness. "Hiiiieee! It's a monster!"

None of the others were fazed. "Ken," said Chrome quietly.

"Hi," Yamamoto greeted heartily. "Nice to see you again."

"Hey, we still haven't settled it yet, animal freak," Gokudera declared, gripping a stick of dynamite.

Ken stepped out, an irritated look on his face. "You come back late, and you bring along a bunch of idiots? Stupid girl."

"Hey! What was that? That's coming from some kind of mutt?" Gokudera retorted.

Before the two could start fighting, Chikusa appeared behind Ken. "Chrome, where's Mukuro-sama?"

The dark truth settled in with the silence. "Well? Where is he? What did you bastards do to Mukuro-san?" Ken howled, ready to beat the truth out of the Vongola.

"W-wait! We'll explain everything!" Tsuna attested. "Please don't hurt us!" He began to whimper under the other boy's glare.

Ken reluctantly agreed with a grunt. Tsuna's gang followed him to a room where they could sit. Tsuna had a hard time keeping up with Ken, who was eager to hear the story.

Explaining the events was a difficult and time-consuming task. As Tsuna and Gokudera knew, Yamamoto's explanations were sorely lacking in certain ways. Gokudera was far too impatient to tell the story, and Tsuna didn't have the heart to force Chrome to have to explain. Even when Tsuna began, Ken would interrupt far too often. Chikusa and Chrome finally managed to make him stay quiet. When Tsuna finished, Ken yelled in protest.

"What kinda story is that? That's impossible! Mukuro-san would never leave us like that! Stop making stuff up and tell us where he is!"

"Chrome, is he telling the truth?" Chikusa asked calmly. Chrome nodded her head slowly, unable look at the two boys in the eye.

Ken looked at each person, desperate for some sort of support. Then he stood up angrily. "Screw that! Come on, Kakipii, we're going to go find him ourselves." He started towards the exit.

"You don't even know where he is!" Gokudera yelled. "Come back here and apologize to the Tenth first!"

Chikusa got up slowly and started after Ken. Tsuna couldn't bear it anymore. "Wait! Don't go!"

Ken turned back with an angry glare at the boy, but he didn't flinch. "If you're going, then we're coming too," Tsuna declared firmly. Chrome and Gokudera looked at him in shock, while Yamamoto smiled with approval. "So please, wait until we're ready. We'll find Mukuro and bring him back, I promise."

"Yeah," Yamamoto agreed. "It'll be fine. Meanwhile, here's a gift." He held up the box of sushi at Chikusa.

Ken ran in front of Chikusa and sniffed the box. "Eh? Sushi? Did you put something weird in it or something?"

"Of course not," Yamamoto said cheerily. Ken stared at him suspiciously. "If you don't believe it, I can eat one first."

"No, it's okay!" Ken yelped as he grabbed the box out of Yamamoto's hands and nearly ripping it open. "Itadakimasu!"

Chikusa looked at Tsuna. "Are you sure about what you said before?"

Tsuna nodded. "Yeah. Knowing Reborn, I'm pretty sure we can find out where the Barbaro Famiglia is."

"That's not what I meant," said Chikusa. "You said that the man called Mukuro-sama his brother? Are you sure?"

"Oh…" Tsuna scratched his head. "Well, I'm pretty sure he said that, but I don't know if it's true or not…" He noticed Chrome on the side, seemingly deep in thought. "Ah, Chrome. Umm…"

The girl looked up. "Yes…?"

"I was thinking… if Mukuro is your brother, then that means his brother would also be yours, right? So… do you know the boss of the Barbaro Famiglia?"

Chrome bit her lip. "I… I don't know." He blinked. "I actually don't remember anything…"

"You mean… you have amnesia?" Tsuna asked. Chrome nodded and looked away. "Oh… I'm sorry."

He then realized how hard it must be for Chrome, having her only brother taken away, and on top of it, having amnesia. Tsuna walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Chrome. We'll definitely rescue Mukuro."

Chrome nodded, and Tsuna noticed tears falling onto her skirt. Everyone's eyes widened, particularly Gokudera's and Ken's. By instinct, Tsuna hugged Chrome to comfort her. He wondered to himself what Mukuro would do if he saw them, but quickly dismissed the thought.

For once, Chrome didn't pull away. "Thank you…" she whispered quietly so only Tsuna could hear.

xxx

_Chrome…_

Chrome opened her eyes to a blue sky. She was sure she had fallen asleep in the guest room. Thinking about it, the sky seemed to be somewhat familiar.

"Chrome."

It was familiar. "Mukuro!" The boy stood not far away, next to the small lake, smiling at her. Chrome ran up and embraced Mukuro.

"Kufufufufu… it's nice to see you too, Chrome. But I don't have much time right now."

She frowned. It was simply a dream, Mukuro was still gone. "But… how are you here, Mukuro?"

"I will have to explain that another time, then," he replied. "But listen, Chrome. Whatever happens, do not try to rescue me."

Chrome gasped. "But why? How are you going to escape?"

Mukuro forced a smile. "I'll be fine. Just promise me, no matter what, that you won't come. Please."

Before Chrome could reply, the whole world, Mukuro with it, began to fade, and she could not make it stop. It was soon dark.

xxx

She woke up late that morning, but it was a weekend anyway. As Chrome made her way downstairs, she heard loud voices from Tsuna's room, undeniably those of Gokudera and Yamamoto.

"Oh, good morning, Chrome!" Nana called, holding a broom. "Breakfast is on the table already."

Chrome nodded and thanked her, proceeding to the kitchen. The door bell promptly rang, and Nana went to answer it.

"Oh… hello. I'm here to speak to Von- uh… Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

"Oh! Tsu-kun! There's a guest here that wants to speak to you!" Nana called up the stairs. Turning back to the door, she asked, "Would you like to come in?"

"No thank you. I'll just wait here. It's quick, anyway."

Chrome peaked into the hallway in time to see Tsuna coming down the stairs, Gokudera and Yamamoto behind him. "Ah!" Tsuna gasped. His mother waved and left to finish cleaning the house.

"Hey!" Gokudera shouted, waiting until Nana was out of sight. "What the hell are you doing here, Bandana?"

Chrome looked at the mystery guest and gasped.

"Hey, I have a name, and it's Aaron," the blond boy answered. "I see you have a nasty habit of nicknaming everyone." There was no doubt, it was definitely the person. One of the guardians of the Barbaro Famiglia.

"W-what are you here for?" Tsuna stuttered, trying to act calm, but failing to do so.

"My boss asked me to deliver this," Aaron answered. He held up a white envelope in Tsuna's direction. Tsuna nervously accepted it. "And I guess that's it, so I'm out. See you in a few days."

"Hmm? What do you think he meant by that?" Yamamoto asked.

"That doesn't matter, baseball idiot! What does the letter say, Tenth?" Gokudera peered over Tsuna's shoulder.

Tsuna unfolded the paper, but he didn't respond. He read the whole thing to himself. Chrome looked over his other shoulder.

The letter read:

_Dear Sawada Tsunayoshi, or Vongola Decimo,_

_I'm terribly sorry for the short meeting two days ago. Regarding Mukuro, he's still alive and with me in our base, not far from Namimori Shrine._

_I will give you 8 days. Come and rescue Mukuro. If you succeed in defeating my six guardians and I, I will return him to you. If you don't come within 8 days, I will kill him. You can bring whomever you want, but you must be with your guardians and the girl you call Chrome. Needless to say, I will be eagerly awaiting your arrival._

_Sincerely, Dante Barbaro, Barbaro Decimo._

* * *

><p><strong>I've been thinking, is there anything I should fixadd/keep in mind? Anyone OOC, suggestions, how are the OCs? Thanks!**


	12. Tutor

**This is the last chapter before the battle starts... sorry if it's a bit boring, but it's necessary.**

**And, again, thanks to those who reviewed, it really means a lot! Please read, enjoy, and review!**

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><p>"Aaaah!" Tsuna moaned. "What are we going to do?"<p>

"I thought you said we were going to fight them, Sawada," said Ryohei.

"Gokudera and Yamamoto told me you were very confident just yesterday," Reborn pointed out. "I thought you finally matured, but it looks like you're still the same Useless-Tsuna."

"I know, but I just realized what I said yesterday! We're up against the mafia! Ah, so scary! I never want to be boss!"

"T-Tenth!" said Gokudera, who was unsure of what to do. "It's okay! We're here to protect you!"

Tsuna was silenced by a gunshot from Reborn. "Shut up for a moment, Stupid-Tsuna. We still have a few things to decide. First thing, Chrome."

They all quieted down, it was clear what the baby meant. Chrome looked into Reborn's eyes with much effort. "I want to become a guardian."

The baby smiled. "That's good. Some confidence, unlike your new useless boss." Tsuna blushed and grinned awkwardly.

"Hey, wait a minute…" Tsuna looked at Reborn, then at Chrome, then Reborn again. "W-wait! That's not good! Not mafia again! And Chrome's only 9!"

"It's okay, Tsuna. Plenty of kids play games these days," Yamamoto said happily. "And besides, like Gokudera said, we're here too."

"One of the requirements in this letter is for Chrome to come too," Reborn pointed out, ignoring Yamamoto. He held up the paper to remind the group. "Besides, she already said yes." Tsuna began to protest, but Reborn's glare prevented another outburst. "Then there's the second thing. Will we go rescue Mukuro, in eight days?"

"I vote yes," said Yamamoto. "After all, we have to help him, right?"

"Nah," said Lambo, "I'll pass. I mean, it's dangerous. I don't want to have to die for someone I barely know."

Ryohei shook his head. "I think we should go. Even though we hardly know him, he'll be killed if we don't do something."

"As the Tenth's right-hand man, I disagree. This is a very dangerous mission. We should consider the Tenth's safety above all else."

"I… I want to go," Chrome muttered, silently apologizing to Mukuro.

"And because Hibari isn't here," Reborn added, "I'll submit his vote for him. Hibari says no. Tsuna, you get the final say in this."

Tsuna looked at each of his guardians. "I… I'm sorry, Lambo, Gokudera-kun… I think we should go." He gulped, slightly scared if what they would think. Reborn smiled to himself, pulling down his hat.

"You don't apologize, Tenth! You're the boss! If you want to go, then all of us will be glad to follow!"

"My, my… I guess it can't be helped then. Just this once."

Reborn looked up. "That's good, then. Be sure to keep that confidence. We only have 8 days. In other words, a week to prepare. I managed to arrange tutors for each of you. It took a lot of work, so make sure this time isn't wasted."

Lambo groaned. "Really? I thought we were just going to rest until then…"

"Oh, that sounds fun," said Yamamoto. "Who's going to be my tutor? My pops said he won't teach me anymore..."

Reborn smirked. "You'll find out very soon. By the way, Tsuna, Mama's out shopping, right?"

"Yeah, she just left a while ago…" said Tsuna. "Why?"

Whether or not Reborn planned to answer, which he probably didn't, he never got the chance to.

"_VOOOOOIIIII!_ Where the hell is the place?"

"Oi, quiet down, kora."

"We're in the residential area right now, so please lower your voices. You might scare somebody."

"Oh, this is it, right here. I remember it."

"Hmph… he had the nerve to call us all the way over here to train some kids."

The tenth generation couldn't find words to express how they felt. Reborn had the same mysterious smile as always. The kids jumped as the door was forcibly opened with a bang.

"Hey, which one of you brats is Yamamoto Takeshi?" A long-haired man appeared in the doorway, grinning.

"Oh, that's me!" Yamamoto called, waving a hand. The next moment, his Shigure Kintoki was drawn and quivering under the weight of another sword.

"Superbi Squalo," said Reborn, "Second-in-command of Vongola's Independent Assassin Squad, the Varia."

"Eh?" Tsuna squeaked. "A-a-assassin?"

"You have good reflexes, but you're still weak," Squalo commented. He lifted his sword and turned to leave. "Follow me! When I'm done training you, you'll be ten times stronger than you are now!"

Squalo walked past the others entering with Yamamoto hurrying to catch up.

"Why the rush, Squalo?" Four more people filed into the room, three of them babies.

"Dino-san!" Tsuna exclaimed. His big brother waved with a smile. "And… kids?"

"Who am I training, Reborn? Hurry up, I have to get back to Italy as soon as possible," said the baby with goggles.

"Lal Mirch, ex-trainer of COMBUSIN, member of Vongola's CEDEF. Your student is the lazy-looking pathetic boy in the cow print shirt."

Lal hopped into Lambo's lap and stared at the boy intensely. He looked back confusedly. "Umm… about training and stuff… I'll pass on that." Without warning, Lal smacked the boy and threw him onto the floor.

"You're definitely the most pathetic one here!" Lal scolded angrily as she dragged a frightened Lambo out the door. "I'll whip you into shape! No objections!"

The blond with a headband smiled as he watched his fellow pupil leave. "So, who's my student, Reborn?"

"Colonello," said Reborn shortly, earning a glare. "You're teaching the boxer over there, with the bandages."

His lips curved up into a smirk. Colonello handed Ryohei a headband. "Okay, let's start training, kora! Start off with a jog!"

"Yes, master!" Ryohei yelled, sprinting out of the room. Colonello followed, carried by his falcon pet. "See you later, Sawada!"

The remaining baby took a deep breath and stretched. Tsuna noted his uncanny similarity to Hibari.

"Fon, Chinese martial arts master."

"I presume you're Gokudera Hayato, then?" said Fon, looking at said boy.

"Yeah, that's me," said Gokudera indifferently. "You're my tutor, then?"

"Yes. Now then, please follow me. We will begin the training." Fon ran out of the room of his short legs, and Gokudera grudgingly went with him.

Reborn looked up at the last remaining person and smiled. "And of course, though he needs no introduction, Dino Cavallone, my previous student."

Dino smiled. "It's good to see you again, Reborn. You too, little bro. And also, it's nice to meet you, Chrome. I've heard a lot about you, you know."

"You know, if Mukuro was here, he'd probably mince you for flirting with Chrome like that," said Reborn with a smirk.

Chrome and Dino blushed simultaneously. "R-Reborn!" Dino stammered. "What are you talking about?" He looked at Chrome, timidly scratching the back of his head. "Erm… Sorry. Reborn's just like that sometimes." Chrome acknowledged it with a nod.

"So… Dino-san, are you going to be Chrome's tutor?" Tsuna asked. "Or mine?"

Dino shook his head. "Nope. By the way, Reborn, where is my student? Why isn't he here?"

"Oh, he never comes to meetings like these. You can probably find him lurking in Nami Elementary. Be careful."

Dino waved goodbye and turned to leave, and promptly ran into the wall. "Gah! Ahahaha… sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me today."

"Wait, Reborn!" Tsuna objected. "He can't meet Hibari-san like that! H-he'll be bitten to death!"

"Oh, don't worry," Reborn replied. "Romario and the others are in Namimori right now. It'll be fine; he's my student after all, no matter how useless he is."

Dino left without any further injuries, leaving Tsuna, Chrome, and Reborn in the house.

"Tsuna, I'll be teaching you, naturally," said Reborn. "As for Chrome, your tutor isn't here yet." Chrome nodded. "We're short on illusionists, so you'll have to make due with him."

"Muu… don't badmouth me behind my back…" The last tutor materialized in front of them, floating in the air. "And you'd better make sure I get the payment by tomorrow."

"Hmph… Mammon of the Varia." Reborn glared at the other baby. "I'll be keeping an eye on you. Don't try anything funny."

Mammon seemed unbothered by the hostility. "As long as I receive the money." He looked at Chrome. "Good grief... I suppose we can start training soon. I'll be waiting in front of Namimori Middle School." Without so much as a farewell, Mammon was gone again.

Reborn sighed. "Okay, Tsuna. We'll begin training right away. Good luck, Chrome."

xxx

"Hey, Boss! Good news!" The teal-haired boy danced into the room.

"Hmm? What is it, Cyrus?"

Cyrus grinned. "They're coming after all~ They've even got tutors! Heh, I bet you never expected the Arcobaleno and the Varia to be teaching the mini tenth gen. guardians, huh?"

"Fufufu… how interesting. It looks like you couldn't stop them after all, Mukuro."

Mukuro gritted his teeth. "You bastard. Take this abomination off of my wrist. I refuse to play your mind games."

"Hmm… sorry. Eight days... our victory will mark the beginning of our conquest. Be prepared to suffer, Mukuro."

* * *

><p><strong>Ahaha... again, sorry if it isn't up to standards. I hope the next few chapters make up for it.<strong>


	13. Raid

**Battle arc begin! Or something. I've never done any fight scenes or anything before, but I'll do my best with the next few chapters.**

**As always, reviews are very much appreciated, thank you so much to those who reviewed! Suggestions are welcome!**

* * *

><p>"Are you ready?" The response was a synchronized nod from everyone. Reborn could see it in their eyes. Determination. He smiled. "Okay, then. Let's go."<p>

"Well… what about Hibari-san, Ken, and Chikusa?" Tsuna asked.

"Oh, the three of them already went ahead. That's why we have to hurry up," Reborn answered.

"Oh, are Squalo and the others coming with us?" said Yamamoto.

"No. The only ones fighting will be you."

"Hah, it's better that way!" Gokudera exclaimed. "We're more than enough for that!"

"Ah… let's get this over with," Lambo sighed. "But I guess it can't be as bad as the training was…"

"I'm ready to the extreme!" Ryohei yelled. "I can't wait anymore!"

"Don't worry, Chrome," Tsuna assured. "We'll definitely save Mukuro." Though, in his mind, he had a hard time thinking about anything but scary Mafioso.

"Yes… thank you, boss."

xxx

"W-what in the world?" The dozens of bodies scattered the ground in front of the base.

"I told you, didn't I? You're not the first ones here. Hibari probably plowed through all of them when he came," said Reborn, sitting on Tsuna's head. "They're not dead, though, so you don't have to worry."

Tsuna gulped. "Y-yeah…"

Chrome was trying hard not to look at the gore when something else caught her eye. A flash of white just disappeared around the corner. Something popped into her head. "Yuki*…"

"Hmm? Chrome!" Tsuna called as the girl ran into the building alone. She didn't seem to hear. "Wait!" He ran after her.

"Wait! Tenth, I'll go with you!"

"No! Gokudera-kun, you guys go ahead, I'll follow Chrome!" Tsuna yelled back. He turned the corner, out of the sight of his guardians.

The storm guardian dismissed the worry and strain in his chest. "Okay! You heard the Tenth! Let's go!"

xxx

Chrome stopped in a dark room. The little white cat sat at the end of the room, staring back at her. Something stirred in her mind.

"Welcome, Chrome Dokuro, Vongola Decimo, Arcobaleno."

Tsuna stumbled to a halt next to Chrome, breathing hard. Reborn hopped down onto the ground. "Are you okay, Chrome?"

"Heheh… I almost couldn't wait anymore. Ah~ I'm gonna have fun!"

Then, as if by cue, the room was lit by at least a hundred candles lined up against the walls. Dante sat on a throne in the middle, the little cat in his lap, smirking. To one side was Cyrus, swinging his legs cheerfully, a similar smile on his face, a knife in hand. And…

"Mukuro!" Chrome and Tsuna yelled at the same time. Mukuro grimaced. He was unharmed… for the time being. The knife danced around his neck dangerously.

"Why did you come, Chrome?"

The single phrase was enough to make Tsuna wince. It was his fault that Chrome was here. He couldn't bear Mukuro's pained voice; it wasn't like him.

"Stupid-Tsuna, stop worrying so much and do something." The next second, there was a gunshot and dying will flames erupted from the boy's forehead.

"Oh… the Vongola's famous dying will bullet?" Dante mused.

"No… not the dying will bullet. The rebuke bullet." Tsuna raised a gloved hand. "Dante Barbaro, I will defeat you."

xxx

The other guardians ran through the long corridors. They had split up to search faster.

"Oi, Mukuro!" Gokudera snapped. "Where are you? If you're here, say something!"

"Oh… if you're looking for him, you're in the wrong place." Roland stepped out in front of Gokudera. "It's a pleasure, Gokudera Hayato."

"Hmph… it's you, lobster face. I don't have time for you." Gokudera let loose a handful of dynamite onto the other boy. He was ready to leave then he heard a laugh.

"Dynamite? How vulgar." Roland held his twin guns. His eye twitched irritably. He would not soon forget being called 'lobster face'. "Don't leave yet, I'm not done."

Gokudera scowled. He lit a cigarette and prepared to fight.

xxx

Yamamoto strolled through the halls casually. "Wow, there are so many rooms here. I wonder if we'll ever find him?"

"Hmm? You looking for Mukuro?" Rayner stood in the middle of the hallway with his sword drawn.

"Oh, hi." Yamamoto waved. "Yep, I'm looking for Mukuro. Do you know where I can find him? It would be a great help!"

Rayner raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?" Yamamoto looked confused. "… never mind. I'm here to fight you."

"Oh! Ahahaha!" Yamamoto grinned and scratched his head. "Why didn't you say so earlier? Sure, why not? I'm pretty confident myself."

Rayner stared at the cheery boy. "Do you realize that the sword is a path of bloodshed? Forget it. Let's see if you can still smile like that when we're finished."

xxx

"Mukuroooo! Where are you, to the extreme?" Ryohei bellowed as he rushed through the entire building. He nearly ran into another boy.

"Wow… what luck," said the brunette. "I happen to run into a Vongola guardian."

Ryohei stared at him hard, as if trying to remember something. "Oh! It's you! You're one of the guardians!" he exclaimed. "I remember you from that time!"

"Oh, so you do remember me, huh? I'm Damian." The boy chuckled. "And if you're looking for Mukuro, he's not here. He's probably with the boss right now."

"What? Then tell me where they are!" Ryohei shifted into his boxing stance.

"Of course I can't tell you that," Damian replied. "But you're a boxer? Hah, that's rich." He took out a pair of metal knuckles. "You can't win this fight."

Ryohei brow became furrowed. "Don't insult boxing like that! I'll beat you to the extreme!"

xxx

Lambo yawned as he walked down the passageway. "Man… this is boring. Well, at least it's better than fighting."

Suddenly, the wall exploded from the side. Lambo stared in fear as two people rushed through the large hole. Hibari and Aaron exchanged blows in front of him, but neither boy took notice of Lambo.

Slowly, the boy turned around and scrambled down the hallway for his life. He knew better than to disturb Hibari, the head prefect of Nami Elementary. He would have kept running until he was out of the building if someone didn't block his path.

"Hey, where are you running off to?" A boy with white hair looked at Lambo. "Hmm? Aren't you one of the Vongola guardians?"

Lambo gulped. "Uh… no. I'm just some person who got lost. I'm trying to find the way out, if you don't mind me leaving…"

"Whoa, whoa. You're not going anywhere," the boy replied. "Though, I can't believe I'm paired with a coward… Well, I'm Vincent."

"Yeah, and I'm nobody in particular," said Lambo. "So if you'll let me out…"

Vincent bursted out laughing. "Heh, no, I'll be fighting you." He whipped out a spear. "Come on, I haven't really fought in a while."

A drop of sweat rolled down Lambo's face. He took out his horns and adjusted them on.

xxx

"You're pretty strong," Hibari commented with a bloodthirsty smile. "It makes me want to bite you to death even more."

Aaron blocked Hibari's tonfas with a metal staff. "Hmm, you're pretty weird. But, for what it's worth, you're not bad yourself."

Hibari sent his opponent flying with the next blow, making another wall crumble with the force. The skylark stepped forward, glaring at Aaron. The boy stood up with a grin.

"Heh… nice hit," said Aaron as he wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth.

"Hn."

xxx

Tsuna was trying his best, but Dante didn't show any signs of yielding. The Barbaro boss could fight with his bare fists alone, but he also had a sword.

Tsuna ducked to avoid the blade and went for a punch. The man caught his fist in a tight grip with a smile. Dante made a swift kick at Tsuna, which he blocked with his free arm.

As Dante let go, Tsuna stepped back in pain. "Still not strong enough are you, Sawada Tsunayoshi?" he mocked. Tsuna clenched his teeth.

"At this rate, I won't even be able to do anything," Cyrus whined.

Dante sighed. "To be honest, I expected more from the next Vongola boss. But I suppose it makes no difference." He readied his sword to make a full horizontal swing. "Arrivederci, Decimo. Onda d'Urto**."

* * *

><p><strong>*Yuki means snow in Japanese<strong>  
><strong>**Onda d'Urto is Shockwave in Italian<strong>

**Also, some very brief character profiles, since it may be confusing with the OCs.**

Dante Barbaro  
>Age: 22<br>Flame: Sky  
>Weapon: Fists, sword<br>Appearance: Black hair, reddish-brown eyes

Roland  
>Age: 12<br>Flame: Storm  
>Weapon: Twin pistols (fires flames)<br>Appearance: Red hair, brown eyes

Rayner  
>Age: 12<br>Flame: Rain  
>Weapon: Sword<br>Appearance: Black hair, dark brown eyes

Aaron  
>Age: 12<br>Flame: Cloud  
>Weapon: Metal staff<br>Appearance: Blond hair, red bandana, blue eyes

Damian  
>Age: 12<br>Flame: Sun  
>Weapon: Metal knuckles<br>Appearance: Dark brown hair, dark eyes

Vincent  
>Age: 12<br>Flame: Thunder  
>Weapon: Spear<br>Appearance: White hair, green eyes

Cyrus  
>Age: 11<br>Flame: Mist  
>Weapon: None<br>Appearance: Teal hair, green eyes


	14. Memories

**Sorry for the extra long wait, but chapter 14 is here! Hopefully it was worth the wait...**

**As always, big thanks to those who reviewed, etc! Please read, enjoy, and review!**

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><p><em>"Arrivederci, Decimo. Onda d'Urto."<em>

A wave of sky flames landed a direct hit on Tsuna. His face distorted with pain. The force knocked out his breath. It was unlike any technique he had ever faced before.

"Boss!"

Chrome watched Tsuna fall onto the ground. The flame on his forehead flickered and died out. Everyone watched the boy, hoping for some sort of sign that he was still okay.

"Nngh…"

The smile on Dante's face was replaced with a scowl. "So you're still alive, are you?" he said darkly. "It seems that you Vongola don't know how to die properly." He started towards Tsuna, blade in hand.

Reborn sighed. "Useless-Tsuna. I didn't plan on interfering at all, but it looks like you're going to force me to anyway." In his hand was a green pistol.

"Hmm… so I'll be fighting the world's strongest baby?" Dante said with a sneer. "Sorry, but I'll be killing Decimo first."

Reborn didn't answer. He lifted his gun. Everyone else looked in confusion. It wasn't pointed at either mafia boss. Dante's eyes widened with fury when he realized what was happening, but it was too late. The shot was already fired.

"W-waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

_Crack…!_

Mist seemed to appear out of nowhere in an instant, filling the entire space. Reborn was trying hard not to grin. Of course, it was to be expected of _him_.

"Kufufufufu… I would say thank you, but did you really have to wait so long?"

"I said that I didn't plan on interfering," Reborn replied. "Besides, I would rather not leave matters in your hands, Mukuro."

The mist dissipated, revealing Mukuro at its center. He was holding a broken device in his hand. "What will you do now that this is wrecked, hmm, Dante?"

"Heheheh… Ahahahahaha!" Dante's beastly laugh echoed in the room. "And here I thought you wanted to kill him, Arcobaleno. You should have."

"Oh?" Mukuro smiled. "Now that this junk is gone," he said, discarding the now useless fragments of metal, "I can fight now."

With a slam of his trident, the floor cracked and separated into pieces. Mukuro rose along with the ground beneath him, while the others fell into the dark crevices.

"No good, Mukuro," said Dante. "All of us can see through your petty illusions."

Reborn frowned. They were pretty high class illusions, but they weren't enough to trick the Barbaro boss, the strongest Arcobaleno, or the two other illusionists.

The first illusion ceased and Mukuro appeared behind Dante. Sword and trident collided over and over, and neither person was scratched.

"I never knew illusionists had close quarters combat skills as well," Dante teased. "In fact, I heard it was taboo."

"A filthy mafia boss has no right to label things as taboo." Mukuro glanced at Reborn for a brief moment. "Baby, are you going to do something about Sawada Tsunayoshi anytime soon? I can't hold up forever."

"It's no good, Tsuna's still unconscious," said Reborn. "We'll have to see how things play out for now."

Mukuro frowned. "Are you simply toying with us, then? I don't appreciate that, baby." He stepped back to dodge another swing of the sword.

"You'll see."

xxx

Chrome stared at the cat. It glared back at her with its cold, green eyes. It seemed familiar, but she was sure she had never seen a snow-white cat before. In fact, she hadn't seen any cats in the past month. But…

"Oh, I'm sure you remember the cat, little girl."

Chrome looked up at Dante. The man smirked deviously. "After all, it is your cat, isn't it?"

"M-my cat?"

Dante received an extra harsh blow from the trident. Mukuro's angry face made Chrome flinch. "Don't say another word… Dante."

The Barbaro boss was confused for a moment. Then a smile spread across his face. "I see… I had no idea." Taking a step towards Chrome, he continued. "You have amnesia, don't you?"

"Dante, you-"

"Oh?" Dante turned back to Mukuro with a friendly smile. "Is there something you don't want your dear little 'Chrome' to know?"

Mukuro couldn't object when he looked into Chrome's questioning eyes. Instead, he glared at Dante.

The man chuckled. "The truth is, Mukuro has been lying to you from the beginning."

Chrome stared blankly at Dante. She hardly noticed his bloodthirsty smile as he pointed his sword at her.

"Fooled you. Arrivederci, Aradate Nagi."

"Chrome!"

She shut her eyes tight. Something warm splashed onto her hands. That was when she remembered, almost like a sick sort of déjà vu. The day they attacked and killed everyone. The Barbaro Famiglia.

Chrome opened her eyes slowly. Where Mukuro was standing before, there were only particles of mist drifting away. An illusion.

The real Mukuro was right in front of her.

xxx

"M-_Mukuro!_"

Chrome was immediately beside Mukuro when he collapsed onto the floor. His face was tight, but he managed a smile. "So… do you remember, Chrome?"

The girl nodded. "B-but… right now, you…" She looked down at the wound on his stomach. It was still bleeding, soaking the boy's shirt.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Have I ever told you that death is merely the beginning of another cycle?" Chrome's eyes widened with fear. "Oh, but not now. I'm not going to die yet."

Even talking was difficult for Mukuro, but he was determined not to show it, not in front of Chrome. At least, with illusions, he could stop the bleeding for a short amount of time, but it the fight dragged out long enough, it would be dangerous.

"But… why?" Chrome asked. She sniffed and wiped away the tears streaming down her face. "Why did you have to save me? And before, too… I-I…"

"You can think of it as making it up to you… for saving me that one time," Mukuro replied. "But, more importantly, what kind of brother would I be if I couldn't even save my little sister?"

"So you really have become soft, Mukuro. How disappointing." Dante wiped his bloody sword with his bare hand. "Your heroic sacrifice is only going to delay your death by a bit."

Chrome steeled herself and stood up, facing Dante. She gripped her trident tightly.

Mukuro grinned. "Do you remember what I told you the first time we trained together, Chrome?"

She nodded.

xxx

"_Are you ready, Chrome?"_

"_Yes."_

_Mukuro smiled. "Okay, then. Before we begin, there's something I have to say first. Illusions rely on belief. No matter how skilled the illusionist is, if no one believes in the illusion, then it is simply an illusion, nothing more. Do you understand so far?"_

_Chrome looked unsure, but she nodded anyway._

"_What I mean is, when you're creating illusions, you have to make it into reality. If you believe it is real, it will become a real illusion." Looking at Chrome's blank face, Mukuro chuckled. "I think you will understand in time. For now, let us begin."_

xxx

"I… I think I understand now," Chrome replied.

Mukuro let out a breath of relief and closed his eyes. "That's good. Be careful. I'm going to… rest for a bit."

Chrome glanced at him worriedly, but she was reassured when she saw his steady breathing. She smiled. Mukuro looked very different when he was sleeping.

"He's asleep? That's too bad. I would have wanted him to see the death of his beloved little sister."

Before Dante finished his sentence, Chrome twirled her trident and slammed it onto the ground with both hands. Columns of fire burst from the ground.

Reborn smiled. The illusion was identical to Mukuro's. Chrome really did believe in Mukuro that much. "Chrome, remember, you have the Vongola ring. Use it."

The girl nodded. Indigo flames erupted from the ring. At the same time, the room got hotter.

Even Dante couldn't hide the surprise. "These are illusions?"

Chrome shook her head, but it was Reborn who answered. "No, these aren't just illusions. They're Mukuro's illusions."

"Mukuro's?" Dante looked at the sleeping boy. "You mean he's the one fighting?"

"No, I'm pretty sure the girl's the one making these," Cyrus commented.

"Chrome is the one making these illusions, but the illusions are the same as Mukuro's," Reborn explained. "That's what makes them so real."

Chrome nodded. "I believe in Mukuro. I won't let you hurt him anymore."

Dante slid his fingers along the blade of his sword. "Don't blame me if you end up the same way as Mukuro."

xxx

"You're awake, aren't you, Useless Tsuna?"

Reborn looked down at his student, who he had dragged to a safer spot.

Tsuna slowly opened his eyes. "Yeah… I heard everything. I can't believe it…" He struggled to sit up and looked to his left. Chrome was still holding up against Dante, Cyrus sat on the side, and Mukuro was propped up against the wall. "Is… is Mukuro okay?"

"Yes, but you don't have time to worry, Tsuna. Hurry up and go help Chrome." Reborn held his gun to Tsuna's forehead.

"W-wait a second!"

"No."

xxx

Chrome winced as she blocked Dante's sword with the trident. Illusions couldn't help her with physical combat. The blow knocked her onto the floor.

Dante stood towering over her. "Looks like you're not all that strong after all. Mukuro's not awake yet… but it doesn't matter." He held up his sword. "I have nothing personal against you, Nagi. If you want to blame anyone, blame Mukuro. He's the reason your family was slaughtered."

Chrome had her eyes shut tight. Once again, she would 'die' as a useless girl. This time, she couldn't even help Mukuro. She awaited her demise.

"What?"

Chrome looked up. "B-boss…?"

Tsuna held the sword in his right hand. The orange sky flame blazed on his forehead. "I won't let you hurt my friends anymore, Dante."

Dante stepped back in shock. "When did you…?"

Chrome stared at Tsuna. "Boss… I…"

"You can't die yet, Chrome," Reborn called from behind. "Think of Mukuro, Tsuna, and the others."

Tsuna glared at Dante. "I won't forgive you."

The Barbaro boss laughed. "You're talking pretty tough for a boy that was defeated a few minutes ago." He readied his sword for a swing.

"Tsuna, you know what to do this time."

"Onda d'Urto!"

Tsuna watched the flames fly at him. Everyone but Reborn stared at him incredulously. He wasn't going to dodge. He closed his eyes and lifted his hands.

"Zero Point Breakthrough… Revised."


	15. Night

**I finally finished this chapter, number 15! More words, more action, and a bunch of people.**

**Anyway, please read and review, all reviews are greatly appreciated (thank you guys, Eiida-chan and Frost190, and other reviewers)!**

* * *

><p>"<em>Zero Point Breakthrough… Revised."<em>

The flames hit Tsuna once again. Dante smiled. "History repeats itself… hmm?" He noticed Reborn with his fedora casting a shadow over his eyes, a smirk on his face. "What is it, Arcobaleno? Is the boss' death so funny?"

"Look."

The smoke cleared, and Tsuna was unharmed.

"What…?" Dante muttered. "What did you do?"

"Zero Point Breakthrough Revised," said Tsuna. In a flash, he was behind Dante. He smacked the man on the neck.

"When'd he become so fast?" Cyrus yelled. He was no longer happily watching.

"It's a technique that Tsuna invented. It absorbs the opponent's dying will flames and utilizes it. Which means your flames are now his." Reborn smiled. "Tsuna's stronger than you think. After all, he is my student."

Dante grimaced. "What a boastful Arcobaleno. Alright. Come at me, Sawada Tsunayoshi. I'll make you regret ever being born."

xxx

"Double Bomb!"

Roland ran down the hall, looking around. Gokudera had mixed smoke bombs in with his regular dynamite and took the chance to escape. "Where did you go? This game of hide-and-seek is dragging out too long." He noticed a sizzling noise just around the corner and jumped back just in time as the edge exploded. "Tch… again?"

Another sound of lit dynamite caused the redhead to whirl around. Gokudera grinned. He let loose two handfuls of bombs.

"Won't work on me!" Roland shot his storm flames at the incoming explosives. The moment they were about collide, the dynamite dodged out of the way. "What?"

"Rocket Bomb. My new weapon. Game over for you." The loud _boom_ was satisfying. "Never underestimate the Vongola." Gokudera turned to leave.

"Who's underestimating who?"

The storm guardian glanced back in disbelief. His opponent was alive, standing there in one piece: injured, but still willing to fight. "You…"

"I have to admit, that was pretty dangerous," said Roland. "You almost got me there. But you've lost your chance." He held up a silver ring, different from the one already on his finger. "Your chances of winning now are zero."

xxx

"Shigure Souen Style: 1st Offensive Form, Axle of Rain!"

Rayner dodged to the side. "That won't be enough!" Readying his own sword, he shouted, "Sciopero del Lupo*!" He rushed forward, holding his sword in one hand behind him, making two quick slashes at Yamamoto.

Yamamoto barely avoided the attack, receiving two small cuts on his face. He stumbled back and, after a moment, he smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "Wow, you're really good! Where did you learn sword fighting from?"

Rayner gave him a look. "I learned on my own. Why?"

"Oh, I was just curious. So you made your own style?"

"Yeah. I'll finish this with my newest addition." Rayner held his sword in both hands.

The boy grinned. "Ahaha… I would use my own technique too, but I can't right now. So I guess I'll go with…"

"Caccia del Lupo**!"

Rayner charged with his sword held horizontally, ready to strike. Yamamoto ran from the other side, katana on his side. He concentrated on the moment, calculating the exact moment to unleash his attack.

"Shigure Souen Style: 8th Offensive Form, Pouring Rain."

Rayner was thrown into the air, and he landed on the floor with a thud. The Shigure Kintoki turned back into its bamboo sword form. Yamamoto was considering helping his defeated opponent up when he saw that he hadn't defeated the other boy just yet.

"I'm not done yet…" Rayner mumbled as he stood up. "You used the back side of your sword, didn't you?"

"Yeah, well…" Yamamoto laughed. "I wouldn't want to kill anyone, you know?"

Rayner narrowed his eyes at the other boy. "You're too naïve…" He removed a familiar ring from his pocket. "I have permission to use this now. You'll be the one dying next."

xxx

"Maximum Rush!"

Damian managed to dodge most of the blows, blocking the rest. "Interesting attack, but it won't beat me." He made a right jab, which Ryohei skillfully evaded.

"I'll definitely defeat you," the boxer declared. "I swear it on my pride as a boxer."

"Boxing again? You never learn."

Ryohei went in for a hit. Damian ducked and punched the other boy across the face and successfully continued with an uppercut. It was almost as if Ryohei wasn't reacting, despite the painful sounds of the impact. But his next punch was caught by Ryohei's left hand.

"Oh, you're still fighting? Good, I thought you gave up." The brunette attempted to back away, but Ryohei didn't let go.

"I got you."

Damian's eyes widened. He was sure he saw the boxer's right fist glowing.

"_Maximum Cannon!_"

The force of the attack sent him flying. Ryohei adjusted the bandages on his hands and rubbed the bruises on his face. He would have to come up with another excuse for going home injured.

"Ouch…" Ryohei snapped back into reality. Damian slowly sat up. "That was really close… if that were a direct hit, I'd probably have several broken bones right now."

"You're already defeated. Our match is over," said Ryohei. "We're no longer fighting each other."

"In boxing, yeah. But this isn't a boxing match, is it?" Damian smiled and picked up a ring from the ground next to him. "Besides, I haven't fought at full power yet. This fight is mine."

xxx

"Aaaaaaaaah!"

Vincent ran after Lambo down the hall. "Hey, stop running and fight me properly, will you?

Lambo had no intentions of stopping until he heard noises of destruction from further ahead. No doubt it was the two cloud guardians fighting. He decided that anything would be better than walking straight into the middle of their fight: in other words, a painful death.

"M-my, my… I guess I don't have a choice, do I?" Lambo turned to face Vincent, trying not to tremble.

Vincent stopped and let out a sigh. "Finally… although you really can run when you want to, huh? Okay, then. Let's see who's stronger."

He wasted to time charging forward to attack. Lambo yelped as the spear just missed his head. "Y-you're stronger, please don't kill me! I forfeit, you win!"

As he said it, Lambo got the feeling that he was forgetting something.

"_As your tutor, I'm responsible for your progress. If you lose a fight to the Barbaro Famiglia tomorrow, I will punish you accordingly! Don't expect me to go easy on you!"_

He gulped. Why did Reborn have to give him the worst tutor out of everyone? He would have to win the fight at all costs. But that was easier said than done…

"Hey, don't run away again! I thought you were going to fight me…?"

Lambo jumped back and faced his opponent. He steeled himself. "Thunder Set!"

Vincent blinked as lightning seemed to appear out of nowhere and stored itself in Lambo's cow horns. "Huh? Lightning?"

Lambo rushed in headfirst with his eyes squeezed shut. Vincent broke into a smile and ran from the other end.

"You can't win this! My spear's longer than your horns!"

The boy whimpered to himself. He was going to either be defeated by Vincent right there or killed by Lal when he got back. In the worst case scenario, both.

"_You're still too weak! All you can use are your horns, but they're not good enough! Elettrico Cornata doesn't work if your opponent isn't in range, so you have to learn how to extend the attack."_

He didn't notice it, but he'd started crying. "Elettrico Cornata!"

Vincent gasped at the sight. Electricity streamed out of the horns, and for a second, it almost looked red. "C-crap!" He blocked the electric horns with his spear, but the current only increased in size.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaah!" Lambo didn't realize what was happening. He continued pushing forward despite the resistance.

Vincent couldn't stand up against it anymore. He fell over and small droplets of blood stained the carpet.

"Gah!" The crying boy tripped over him and fell onto the floor. He opened his eye and looked around. He spotted Vincent behind him. "Huh? Did I… did I do it? I… won?"

Lambo stared with both of his eyes wide open. "T-that means…! Lal won't punish me now!" He smiled in relief.

"…What're you talking about?" Vincent groaned as he sat up. He rubbed his side, where Lambo had kicked when he fell over. "I'm still ready to go…"

Lambo sat there for a few seconds. "A-Aaaah! I don't wanna fight anymore!" He got up and ran in the other direction before the other boy could react.

Vincent swore under his breath. He took out a ring from his pocket. "This'll make things faster…"

xxx

Aaron stepped back to dodge a tonfa and blocked the other one with his staff. "It really is a lot of trouble fighting against two weapons with one."

"Be quiet." Hibari didn't let up. He landed one hit on the boy's ribcage and another on his chest.

The blonde ignored the pain. He took the chance to counter-attack, swinging his staff at Hibari's head, hitting it with a _bang_. Both of them staggered backwards.

Hibari was getting irritated. He bared his fangs and held his tonfas tightly. "I'll bite you to death." He charged forward and unleashed a frenzy of strikes, about a fifth of them landing successfully.

Aaron gritted his teeth. He noticed a brief opening and swung his staff at the prefect's head again.

It was a shock when Hibari blocked the hit flawlessly, as if he had expected it. He smirked. "Finally." A hook came out from the tonfa and held the staff in place. It was impossible to remove.

The final blow was directed at Aaron's head. The boy was knocked aside into the wall. Hibari licked his lips and watched.

Aaron grunted and shut his eyes in pain. He gradually stood up with great effort, clutching his head. "Ow… that really hurt."

"Hn… you're not dead yet."

"Of course not." Aaron rubbed his neck. "I haven't gone full power in a long time… not since _he_ became boss. But… I guess now is the right time, huh?" He lifted his arm to show Hibari a bracelet in his wrist. He clicked it open and threw it onto the floor. "I haven't been fighting with flames yet."

Hibari raised an eyebrow. "You're just like the annoying bucking horse. Always about flames and rings." He raised the Vongola Ring to eye level and ignited it. "You're not the only person who hasn't used flames."

Aaron was silent for a moment. Then he smiled. "I see. It's more exciting that way."

"But what is that bracelet?" Hibari asked.

Aaron pointed at the object by his feet. "It's a device that suppresses the use of flames. Your friend has something similar."

The prefect's eyebrow twitched. The purple flame coming from the Vongola Ring grew slightly larger. "'Friend'? Who are you talking about?"

"Oh? Is that Rokudo Mukuro not your friend?"

Upon hearing the name, the cloud flames erupted. Hibari's glare was darker and angrier than ever. "I'll. Bite. You. To. _Death_."

xxx

Chrome and Reborn sat next to Mukuro, observing the battle. Tsuna had the upper hand after absorbing Dante's flames. He was breathing hard, but otherwise, doing well.

Dante, on the other hand, was exhausted. His brow was furrowed in frustration, and although he had no fatal injuries, Tsuna had already hit him several times. He was at the limit of his patience after being beaten up by a kid.

"Ahahaha… if you think that's all I've got, Sawada Tsunayoshi, think again." Dante took out a silver ring and flashed it at everyone present.

Reborn raised an eyebrow. Not many people used more than one ring. Unless…

"Do you have more than one flame?" he asked.

The man smiled. "Why yes, Arcobaleno. As you know, the seven flames of the sky are the most common, but there are other types of flames. Vongola Secondo, for example. He had the Flame of Wrath. I've heard that some Famiglias have their own special flames."

Slipping the ring on his finger, he ignited it. Reborn's eyes widened. Chrome gasped. Tsuna stared. The flame was a dark blue, almost black color.

"This is the Barbaro Famiglia's flame. The flame of the night." Suddenly, Dante didn't seem so tired. "It's been so long since I last used this ring."

"Reborn-san," said Chrome. "What is that flame?"

Reborn pulled his fedora down. "I don't know. I've never heard of it before. Hopefully Tsuna will be alright."

Tsuna readied his fists. "It doesn't matter how many rings or what type of flame you have, Dante. I won't lose."

The Barbaro boss grinned. "Come at me, then. The real fight begins here."

* * *

><p><strong>*Strike of the Wolf<strong>  
><strong>**Hunt of the Wolf<strong>

**Making up sword techniques and guardian fights was hard... but tell me how it turned out! OCs, plot, fights, etc?**


	16. Shadow

**Chapter 16 took so long because it didn't satisfy me... but please enjoy, anyway. I'd really love to know what you think about everything, especially suggestions. If you'd like to review (which I'd appreciate very much), please tell me! Thanks!**

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><p>Neither Dante nor Tsuna had been hurt yet. Both of them were equal in speed, exchanging blows evenly. But Tsuna seemed to be slowing down by the minute. He wouldn't last at that rate.<p>

Reborn held the brim of his hat in one hand, watching the battle closely. "Hey, Mukuro."

Mukuro slowly looked up at him with half-opened eyes. "What do you want, baby?"

His eyes were dark. "What is that flame? How are you related to Dante? There's a lot that you haven't told us yet. You may as well tell us now." The baby clearly wasn't in the mood for sarcasm or idle chatter, by the look on his face and the way he was holding his gun.

Mukuro glanced at Chrome, and then back at Reborn. They were both ready to listen, whether he wanted to talk or not. He surrendered with a sigh and a grin. "I suppose... it wouldn't hurt to disclose a few details. But only a few.

"Dante… I guess he's also an adoptive brother of mine. We're not blood related. His father, Orfeo Barbaro, who the boss at the time, adopted me into his famiglia. As much as I disliked the thought, I didn't have much of a choice back then. I only stayed for about half a year, and left. After all, I don't like to mingle with the mafia. That was about five years ago. As for why _he's_ now boss and why he wants to 'revenge' is beyond me. And those flames... I've never heard of them before. The ring is a Barbaro Famiglia heirloom, but I don't know anything beyond that.

"Is that what you wanted, baby?" Mukuro finished. He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing softly as not to aggravate his wound any further.

Reborn didn't answer. He continued to look forward with an expression as indecipherable as ever.

Chrome had her mouth open, as if wanting to say something, but not being able so find the words. Finally building up the courage, she asked, "Mukuro, what about before that? Like your real parents."

His smile faltered for a second, but Mukuro managed to give her a reassuring look. "That's… a story for another time. Not now."

Chrome looked at him uncertainly. Reborn's eyes narrowed a bit. He would deal with Mukuro later. Tsuna was top priority at the moment.

xxx

Tsuna, with his ever-present furrowed eyebrows, flew at Dante with his gloved hands spewing flames behind him. He thrust his elbow at the man.

Dante gracefully avoided it with a small step backwards. He raised his arm to block Tsuna's other hand. Tsuna gritted his teeth and threw another swift punch, which landed on Dante's palm.

"Is that really it? I don't even need my sword for this." He punched Tsuna in the chest at full force, sending the boy backwards and onto the ground.

After a moment, Tsuna stood up from the rubble, panting. He had one eye closed, and he held his knees for support. He was tiring, and they could all tell. But his eyes were as determined as ever.

Dante smirked. "Not done yet? Give me your best shot, then."

Reborn stared intensely at him. There was something about the way his facial expression that made the baby uneasy. It was almost as if…

Tsuna charged in, gloves blazing. Dante didn't even bother moving; he just stood with a smug smile on his face. It served to aggravate Tsuna further.

"Hraaah!" Putting all of his flames into one fist, he punched with all of his might.

Tsuna felt his fist stop. It was held between four of Dante's fingers. He gasped. "W-what?"

"Recognize this?"

Chrome watched with her mouth agape. "T-that's the boss'…"

Mukuro frowned. "What are we all excited about now?" he inquired irritably.

"That's Tsuna's technique, Zero Point Breakthrough: Revised," Reborn answered gravely. "It steals the opponents flames. But he should be the only person who knows how to use it."

"Hmm." Mukuro was mildly shocked. It reminded him of the Path of Hungry Ghosts, although he knew that Dante couldn't use it.

Tsuna leapt back. Sweat rolled down his face. After having his flames drained, he was hardly in the condition to fight. "How… how did you…?"

"So pathetic," Dante commented snidely. "As for how I could use your exclusive technique, you'll see in a moment. That is, if you can still think at that point." He held up his hand with the silver ring glowing with night flames. "This is the beginning of the end for you. Look into your own nightmares, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Almost like an illusion or projection, images began to appear. Reborn's mouth opened a sliver and his eyes widened ever so slightly. Chrome let out a whimper and a tear formed at the corner of her eye. Mukuro pulled her in the same way he had months ago, before the girl's memories were lost, on the day her family was killed, covering her one good eye. He watched solemnly.

Tsuna began to tremble. His eyes were glued open. It was too much for him. His worst fears… his friends. Gokudera and Yamamoto… Ryohei, Lambo, and Chrome… even Mukuro and Hibari. It was too realistic. He knew it was just a picture, fake, but he couldn't stand it.

They were being slaughtered. And he was helplessly watching.

Mukuro's forehead wrinkled. Sawada Tsunayoshi, the soft, honest boy who was unfit to be a mafia boss, watching his friends die, as much as he disliked being considered the boy's 'friend'. Although death was nothing new, he admitted that watching Chrome and himself being murdered was unsettling. He gently closed his eyes and placed a hand in Chrome's hair.

"Vongola Decimo can't stand seeing his buddies dying, huh?" Cyrus teased from the side, completely unfeeling.

The dying will flame on Tsuna's forehead flickered and faded as he fell onto his knees. The images had faded, but he was not okay. His eyes were blank and lifeless.

"Boss…" Chrome squeezed Mukuro's hand tightly.

Reborn's face was unreadable. His eyes were shadowed by his fedora, his mouth twisted into some sort of frown. He made no move to console or encourage Tsuna.

"Have you lost your will to fight?" Dante asked. "That's too bad." He felt his ring. "These rings can be used for any attribute, but I happen to have this one. The flames of the night. Can you guess what it means?"

"Reflection, isn't it?" Reborn looked up at the other man. "Copying Tsuna's moves and projecting his true fears. Reflecting him inside and out… am I right, Dante?"

Dante smiled and closed his eyes. "How sharp, Arcobaleno. I suppose it's to be expected. That's right, these flames reflect… much like a shadow, don't you think?

"The rings as well… Like a shadow, they hide the ugly truth…"

xxx

"Shit!" Gokudera turned the corner ran down the ruined hallway, just escaping a ray of storm flames. He looked back and lit up two handfuls of dynamite. "Eat that! Double Bomb!"

"Just a bunch of bombs isn't enough!" Roland called from behind, dashing after him, pistols ready to shoot.

Gokudera scowled and turned another corner just in time to meet-

"Ow!" He stumbled back, holding his forehead. He just ran into something… hard.

"Oh, sorry! I wasn't looking- hmm? Gokudera?"

Gokudera opened his eyes and, to his surprise, saw Yamamoto standing in front of him. "Huh? What the hell are you doing here, baseball idiot?" He looked back and remembered that Roland was there. "Idiot! Look out!"

"Huh? W-whoa!"

The flames burnt the edge of Gokudera's shirt as crashed into Yamamoto again, knocking the boy onto the floor. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Yamamoto sat up rubbing his head. "Oh, thanks, Gokudera." He stood up and brushed off his pants cheerfully.

"Hmm? So that's Vongola's storm guardian, Gokudera Hayato?"

They turned around to meet Rayner. Roland stepped in on the other side. They were trapped.

"Oh, it's Rayner," Roland plainly stated. "Man, though… these rings are really are efficient. Wonder why boss usually doesn't let us use them?"

Yamamoto held out his Shigure Kintoki. "I guess we'll be fighting together then, huh, Gokudera?" He chuckled to himself, irritating the other boy.

"Che… you'd better not hold me back," Gokudera replied, readying his dynamite. "And don't you dare die, or else you'll make the Tenth sad."

"Ahahaha! Sure thing!"

Simultaneously, Yamamoto and Rayner charged, swords drawn. At the same time, Gokudera let his rocket bombs fly and Roland took aim.

At that moment, the two Vongola guardians sensed something wrong. Roland had let himself be hit by the dynamite and Rayner was directly hit by a simple swing of the sword. Both of them collapsed onto the floor.

"Hey, are you alright?" Yamamoto exclaimed as he ran over to Rayner. "What happened?"

"Idiot!" Gokudera yelled. "Don't just go up to the enemy like that!"

Roland coughed and sat up in pain. He angrily slipped the silver ring off of his finger and set it down. "So that's why… dammit…" He clenched his fist.

"Are you serious, Roland?" Rayner ground out. "You mean the boss gave us rings that would kill us?"

"What the hell are you saying?" Gokudera interrupted. His dynamite were still in hand. "Stop acting and get up, unless you want to just let us go."

Yamamoto looked up at his friend with concerned eyes. "Hold on a second, Gokudera. Something's definitely wrong here."

"Of course I can't wait, idiot, the Tenth is waiting for us! We have to find him and Mukuro and leave!"

"Wait," said Roland. "Mukuro and Decimo are together right now. If you want to get to them, I know where they are. I'll bring you there."

Gokudera stared at him suspiciously. "Huh? Why would we trust you? Why do you want to help us, anyway?" He didn't like the idea of getting help from an enemy.

"Don't get us wrong," Rayner put in. "It's not for you. There's something we need to sort out with the boss."

Yamamoto smiled sympathetically. "Why not?" He placed Rayner's arm on his shoulders and heaved the boy up, to everyone's surprise. "Let's go, then," he said happily.

"Wha-! Oi, Yamamoto! What do you think you're doing?" Gokudera yelled.

"Well, I'm going to go find Tsuna and the others, what else?" Yamamoto answered. "Come on, didn't you say we had to hurry and find them?"

Gokudera hesitated. He then, grudgingly, helped Roland up and followed, occasionally glancing at the other boy.

He followed Yamamoto as quickly as he could. "Tenth… please be okay…"

xxx

"Whaaat?" Lambo exclaimed incredulously. "You want me to carry him?" He took two slow steps backwards. "B-but…"

Ryohei looked at the boy with his fiery eyes. "Of course you have to help, Lambo! I can't support two people at once!" He helped Damian onto his feet. "And we have to hurry to the extreme! Sawada's waiting for us!"

Vincent watched Lambo expectantly. "Well, what are you going to do?"

Lambo sobbed inside. He unwillingly walked over to Vincent and pulled him up with effort.

"Okay, then," said Ryohei. "Let's go find Sawada!"

xxx

"Hey, I'm telling you, I have to go find the boss!"

Hibari ignored the sense of urgency in Aaron's voice. "I don't care. But you're not going anywhere until I bite you to death."

"We can continue later, but right now, this is most important! Didn't you see how Roland and Rayner collapsed?"

"That just means they're weak."

Aaron jumped back to face Hibari. "No, it wasn't natural. But look… Vongola Decimo and Mukuro should both be with him right now. Wouldn't it be good for you, too?"

Hibari considered the deal. "Then, when we get there, I can do whatever I want, right?"

"W-well…"

"Fine. Hurry up and lead the way already."

As Aaron made his way to the boss' chambers, he had a bad feeling about agreeing to Hibari's conditions. But he had a worse feeling about what they would find out.


	17. Past

**Well, chapter 17 is here after a while. Please enjoy, and review! (Thanks for the suggestions, I've pretty much got the rest of the story plotted out by now. It was helpful, though!)  
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><p>"Sawada Tsunayoshi, are you simply going to give up? The battle isn't over yet."<p>

Tsuna's face remained blank as he looked up at Mukuro. "I…" He squeezed his eyes shut and attempted to stand up, only to fall back down.

Mukuro sighed in frustration. "At this rate, we'll all be killed. Can't you do something, baby? He's your student."

Reborn lowered his head and stared at Tsuna. "I didn't expect Tsuna to be reduced to that pathetic state. There's nothing that can be done right now, but if my calculations are correct…" An almost unnoticeable smirk formed on Reborn's mouth.

"Hmm?" Dante scowled at the baby. "You still have something up your sleeve, Arcobaleno?"

Chrome watched him hopefully, while Mukuro was slightly suspicious. Reborn decided not to answer. With an all-knowing smile, he tilted his fedora back and looked up.

Cyrus grinned. "So suspenseful… I hope you have something exciting, little guy!"

Reborn's smile disappeared for a moment. "If I could do whatever I wanted right now, I'd kill you. But you'll see… soon enough. I won't raise a finger until then."

Mukuro sighed again. "You're always like that, aren't you? Keeping things to yourself until the last moment."

"Aren't you the same way?" Reborn replied casually.

"You're both getting ahead of yourselves," said Dante. "There won't be any hope left once your boss is dead." Brandishing his sword, he stepped over to Tsuna.

Chrome gasped in fright. Tsuna didn't move, sitting with a sad look on his face.

Dante held his sword over Tsuna's head, preparing to execute him. "Any last words, then, Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna closed his eyes; he couldn't bear to look Reborn in the eye. "I'm sorry, everyone…"

Dante was about to bring his sword down. That is, if the wall hadn't basically exploded.

"Tenth! Please take cover!"

Tsuna covered his face with his arm as dynamite went off around him. Dante jumped back and looked towards its source.

Hibari stood in the front of the newly made hole in the wall, tonfas drawn. He had bashed the wall down with sheer force. Behind him were the other guardians, both Vongola and Barbaro, as well as Ken and Chikusa. The Barbaro guardians glared at their boss silently, and Dante was displeased about something.

Ken smiled. "We found you, Mukuro-san~!"

"Help has arrived!" said Yamamoto cheerfully.

"Don't be so happy when the Tenth is in trouble!" Gokudera snapped. Turning back to Tsuna, he smiled. "We're here under your command, Tenth!"

Hibari's dark, deadly aura silenced the others. "Be quiet, herbivores." He looked at Mukuro. "You. Why are you in such a pathetic state? It won't be any fun to bite you to death that way."

Mukuro grinned. "Hibari Kyoya, what a pleasure to see you here. I would love to fight you, but there are some more important matters to deal with right now."

"Yeah!" Ryohei roared with passion. "We extremely have to defeat the enemy, Sawada! Are you ready?"

"Sasagawa Ryohei... you're even louder than Ken..." said Chikusa quietly.

Lambo sighed. "You guys can do the fighting, I'll just watch..." Gokudera gave him an angry glare. "O-or I can help cheer you on, Vongola."

"You see now, Useless-Tsuna?" Reborn called from the side. "Your friends are still well and alive, and it's your job as the boss to protect them. So stop moping around on the floor and get up. And stop crying in front of everyone, will you?"

Tsuna wiped a tear from his eye and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Reborn, everyone." He stood up slowly and faced Dante.

"Wait, before you start fighting again," said Roland. "There's something we need to know."

"Hey, come to think of it…" Tsuna muttered to himself. He scratched his head. "Why are the Barbaro Famiglia's guardians with…?"

Rayner scowled and took a step forward. "Why the hell did you try to kill us? What're you trying to pull, Dante?" He attempted to draw his sword, but Yamamoto stopped him.

Dante sighed and shook his head. "Sadly, things didn't do as planned." For a second, the Barbaro guardians had a little bit of hope that they had suspected wrong. But the man smiled. "You see, if you weren't able to use the rings properly, you were never supposed to make it here alive. But it seems that Vongola's tenth generation is filled with kind-hearted fools."

"You bastard!" Damian yelled. "Don't screw with us like that! We're not your toys to play with! I'll-!"

Cyrus laughed, drawing everyone's angry gazes to him. "But you guys are just a bunch of poor kids that the last boss adopted out of pity! You don't deserve to be guardians!"

Vincent tried to break out of Lambo's arms. "Shut it, Cyrus! You little…!"

Suddenly, the boy stopped raging. Cyrus' smile was gone, and a trickle of blood came out.

"Be quiet. You're no better than the rest of them."

Dante pulled his sword out of Cyrus' abdomen. His face was completely cold and apathetic. The boy fell onto the floor, unmoving.

Angry yells and protests broke out from among the other children. Chrome cried into her sleeve and Mukuro held her shoulder supportively. Reborn pulled his hat down, hiding his eyes from the others. Finally, Tsuna's voice broke through the noise.

"How could you do that? They're your comrades!" Tsuna shouted angrily. "_Why?_"

"Comrades? Don't make me laugh. They're street mutts. They don't belong in my ideal famiglia. Especially not Mukuro." Dante was angrier than ever. "He's the reason my father turned into a fool of a man. Because of that, I had to kill my own father."

"You _what_?" Aaron bared his fangs. "_You're_ the one that killed the boss?"

"That's right… hate me. Despise me. Go ahead, I'm used to it already." Dante tilted his head upwards and closed his eyes. "Why don't I tell you? Yes, why not. It'll all come to light sooner or later."

xxx

"_Boss!"_

_Orfeo turned around to see his right hand man, Barbaro's storm guardian, running up to him. "What is it, Armando?" he replied while shooting down more enemy Mafioso._

"_This is bad! They're going to blow up the research lab! They know they can't win, so they-"_

_In the distance, the explosion sounded. The research lab collapsed in flames. Orfeo cursed under his breath._

"_Get a team to extinguish the flames! Find any survivors and take them prisoner for now!" he commanded. "Quick!"_

_When the battle was finished and the fire had burnt out, Orfeo paid a visit to the site of the explosion. His subordinates saluted at his arrival and continued searching through the rubble. Armando spotted his boss and jogged over._

"_Boss!" The storm guardian saluted. "We haven't found anyone yet, but-"_

"_I think we have something here!" someone called from amidst the ruins. "You should come take a look, sir!"_

_Orfeo and his right hand man ran over to the source of commotion. Several men were crowded around, but they stepped back to let the boss have a look._

"_T-that's…" Orfeo looked over carefully. "It's a boy…"_

_Under some small boulders was indeed a boy, around six or seven years of age. His strangely blue hair intrigued the man._

"_Well, pull him out, then. Be careful with him."_

_Upon closer inspection, the boy seemed to be rather heavily injured, most likely due to the collapse of the building. He also had stitches around his right eye. In the boss' mind, there was no doubt that this boy was one of the human test subjects._

"_Well, what do we do with the boy, boss?" Armando asked, looking over Orfeo's shoulder. "Should we kill him?"_

"_No!"_

_His sharp reply had startled everyone around him, and Orfeo apologized. "No, we'll take him back. Get the medical team over here and treat his wounds first. We'll bring him back to the HQ when we're done here."_

"_A-Are you sure, boss?"_

"_Yes. Now continue searching."_

xxx

"_Dante?"_

_Orfeo stepped into the room and closed the door behind him._

"_Oh, Father." Sixteen-year old Dante looked up from his desk. He stood up and bowed as a formality._

"_No need for such things, Dante. Sit down." He gestured at a table on the side and pulled over two chairs._

_Dante sat down to face Orfeo. "Oh, I meant to ask you earlier, but how did it go?" he asked eagerly. Seeing his father's confused face, he added, "With the Estraneo Famiglia. Didn't you just come back a while ago?"_

"_Ah…" Orfeo smiled sadly. "It was fine. But what I wanted to talk to you about is related to that. You see... there was a boy. About ten years younger than you. I… I think I may adopt him, Dante."_

_Dante's shocked face worried Orfeo for a moment, but he relaxed when his son smiled. "That's great. I never knew what it was like to have a younger sibling. Where is he right now?"_

"_Oh… he's resting in the infirmary. He hasn't woken up yet, actually, so it may take a while. But I'll call you when he wakes up, Dante."_

"_Yes, father."_

xxx

_When the boy awoke, his hand immediately went to his right eye. Orfeo noted its strange red color and a symbol that was foreign to him. Perhaps it was the result of the Estraneo Famiglia's human experimentation._

_The boy looked alarmed and tried to stand up, but his wounds prevented it. Orfeo tried his best to calm him down. "It's fine, you're not in danger. Don't move, your wounds are rather bad." The boy seemed to acknowledge it and relaxed slightly._

"_Where is this?" the boy asked._

"_The infirmary. I am Orfeo Barbaro." He noticed that the boy stiffened. "What is your name, boy?"_

_He hesitated before speaking. "My name is Mukuro. But... what am I doing here?"_

_Orfeo smiled as friendlily as possible. "Do you remember the Estraneo Famiglia?" When Mukuro nodded with subtle annoyance on his face, the man scolded himself mentally for being so insensitive. "Yesterday... they were defeated. You're free."_

_Mukuro raised an eyebrow. "I'm 'free'? What do you mean by that?"_

"_Ah… never mind. Although… what do you plan to do now, Mukuro? With your future, that is."_

"_My future?" Mukuro looked away in thought. "Well, right now, I can hardly move. But you look like you want to suggest something."_

_Orfeo blinked at the grinning boy. "Well, yes… If you'd like, you could join us."_

"_What?" Mukuro had been caught off guard, for once._

"_The famiglia. I presume you already know what I'm talking about?" he said with a smile._

_After a moment, Mukuro chuckled. "So I do. But I despise the mafia. Do you know why?"_

"_No. But… I think I can understand. After all, this isn't a kind world."_

"_Kufufufufu… it isn't, is it? However, I will take you up on your offer." Mukuro was amused by the mafia boss' shocked expression. "For now, at least."_

"… _I see. By the way, my son is rather anxious to meet you, he'll probably be coming soon. His name is Dante. I do hope that you two will get along fine. Be sure not to cause any trouble."_

_With that, Orfeo walked out of the room, a discreet smile on his face, leaving Mukuro both amused and confused at their first meeting. He allowed himself a grin before closing his eyes again._

xxx

"_Oh, are you Mukuro?"_

_Dante gently shut the door and stepped in._

"_Why, yes. You are... Dante?" Mukuro noted the numerous similarities between the father and son. They had the same dark hair, reddish eyes, and tall structure._

"_Did Father tell you about me earlier?" Dante asked, sitting down next to Mukuro's bed._

"_Not much. Tell me, though… what kind of person is he?"_

"_Hmm? Father?" Mukuro nodded. "Well… he's rather popular in the famiglia. I haven't seen him in battle personally, but apparently he's a dead shot with a revolver. He's usually busy, but he does spend time with everyone once in a while. I would say that he's the perfect role model for a good boss."_

_Mukuro frowned at the last sentence. "I see." He suspected that Dante's view of the mafia may have been a little too bright despite being the heir of the Barbaro Famiglia, one of the famiglias with the worst reputations. Though, of course, it couldn't compare to the Estraneo Famiglia._

"_Ah, I forgot," Dante said. "I do have work to do right now, I apologize. But I'll be back tomorrow." He waved as he walked out._

_Mukuro sighed when he was sure he was alone. "Barbaro… what a famiglia to get mixed with..."_

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><p><strong>Note: As you can see, not all of these flashbacks are from Dante's point of view, so I'll leave that to your imaginations, I guess. Next chapter'll start of with more past events, so stay tuned!<br>**


	18. Beginnings

**Chapter 18, ****continuation of the past! I hope its up to standards, for a slightly shorter chapter.**

**As always, thank you to all of the kind reviewers and readers! ****Please enjoy, review, etc...**_  
><em>

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><p><em>Mukuro strolled down the hallway leisurely, looking for something to do, when he saw the door to Dante's room, ajar. He peered in through the crack of the door. Dante was bent over his desk, flipping through several documents with great interest.<em>

"_What are you looking at, Dante?" Mukuro asked as he walked up to the older boy._

_Dante turned around and smiled. "Oh, Mukuro. Here, take a look." He held up one of the papers. Mukuro squinted slightly at the words._

"_Vongola... Cavallone... Giegue... Bovino..." As he skimmed the list, not even bothering to read the longer paragraphs, something tugged at the edge of his memory. "This is…"_

"_A list of the mafia famiglias in the main alliance," Dante finished for him. "Along with detailed description and history. I'm studying for when I'll need all of the information."_

_Mukuro nodded. "Would you mind if I joined you for a while?"_

"_No, not at all. Do what you'd like."_

_Mukuro looked back down at the list. The Vongola Famiglia, the most powerful famiglia in Italy, if not the whole world. He would keep that information in mind._

xxx

_Dante cheerfully made his way to his father's office. He was going to turn seventeen soon, and he wanted to talk to Orfeo about succeeding the position as boss. Although it had been in his mind for years, they had never really discussed it before._

_As he raised his hand to knock, Dante heard two voiced from inside. Without a doubt, Orfeo and Mukuro. He had been taught that eavesdropping was impolite, but he was too curious. The conversation came in snatches, for the two talked in quiet tones, but Dante could make out most of it._

"… _It's not a good choice, though. I know there aren't many other options, but…" It was Mukuro speaking._

"… _Yes, but you should just as well understand why I can't just say no. You've been here for six months already." Orfeo's reply._

"_It's entirely your choice. I'm simply being gracious, for once. Consider yourself lucky." _

_Orfeo laughed at this point, but not the same kind of happy laugh. "I see. It is a very difficult decision for me, though, especially since Dante's birthday is so close."_

_Dante looked up at the door. Were they talking about him? Confused, he listened in closer._

"_I still don't understand why you humans are so set on birthdays. It marks the day we were born in this cruel world."_

_Another laugh. "You really do talk too old for your age, Mukuro. You coming up to me with advice is more surprising, though."_

"_Just think of it as repaying my debt."_

"_I see." Orfeo sighed wearily. "I understand, though. The whole thing has never left my mind since Adelaide died…"_

_Dante flinched. Adelaide was the name of his mother who had died many years ago, when he was too young to remember it well. He couldn't even remember her face. His father had never mentioned the topic before, and Dante had never asked. But…_

"_So that's her name? Adelaide? Then, she was…?"_

"… _Killed, yes. He was only a child at that time, when one of the rival famiglias attacked. I forbade the others from telling him, so he shouldn't know just yet."_

"_Are you sure that's a good thing? It makes your decision ever so much harder to make. He doesn't see the real mafia… its true dark, ugly form."_

"… _Can we leave this conversation for later? I… need to take some time to think."_

"_Of course… but keep in mind that this may be the last chance for you to discuss it."_

"_What?"_

"_Nothing. I'll be leaving now. Arrivederci, Orfeo."_

_Mukuro stepped out of the room and looked around for signs of another person. He was sure that he had sensed someone's presence. Shaking off his uneasy feelings, he walked off._

"_Kufufu… I guess this is goodbye. The next time we meet… hopefully it will still be in this lifetime."_

xxx

"_What? You can't find Mukuro?"_

_Dante recognized the voice as that of Riccardo, the famiglia's rain guardian. It seemed like a strange coincidence; he had just been thinking of going to find Mukuro. Since yesterday Dante had locked himself in his room, reflecting on what he had heard. He decided to quietly listen for more information._

"_No sir… we've searched the whole building, including his room." A man's voice, probably just another lackey. "No one has seen him since yesterday, sir."_

"_I see. Tell the men to stop the search. I'll report this to the boss myself. Dismissed."_

_As the two men's footsteps grew quieter, Dante could only stare at the ceiling. He had lost his chance. Picking up the list of mafia famiglias, his grip tightened. As he ripped it in half, one word on the page stood out: Vongola._

xxx

_Dante felt a definite sense of déjà vu as he stood in front of Orfeo's office door, which was half open. Barbaro's guardians stood in a semicircle around the boss' desk._

"_Boss, what happened?" Armando asked worriedly. "First it was Mukuro… now you've brought back five more children without telling us? This is the mafia!"_

_When Orfeo answered with silence, the cloud guardian spoke up. "This is about Dante, isn't it? Look, we all know you dislike the idea of him becoming the next boss, but this is going a little far. You haven't even talked to him about it yet. You haven't even talked to him for days."_

"_Look… this isn't like that," said Orfeo. "It's just…"_

_Dante couldn't listen to it anymore. He stormed down the hall and out of the HQ, not bothering to pay attention to the five new kids staring at him as he passed._

xxx

"_Dante… what's wrong? You've spent almost all of your time in your room these past few days." Dante avoided his father's sad, worried gaze. "Have you met those new boys yet?"_

_Orfeo sighed, and seeing that his son was not going to reply, he looked away and entertained himself by talking. "You know, they were living on the streets just a while ago. They were suspicious of me at first, which isn't all that surprising, considering their living conditions. I'm glad that they're finally starting to-"_

_Dante slammed the table and stood up, knocking his chair down. "I can't stand this anymore! If you've got something to say, say it! You hate me, don't you? That's why you keep bringing back a bunch of kids, isn't it?"_

"_Dante, that's-"_

"_Don't try to deny it!" Dante yelled furiously, despite his father's efforts to calm him down. "I heard everything! Your conversations with Mukuro and your guardians… you're always hiding things from me!" _

_Orfeo looked at him, agape at the outburst. Slowly, his lips formed into a sad smile. "I see." He closed his eyes. "Whatever you want to do, I won't stop you, Dante. Just… please take care of the kids, alright?"_

_It was almost as if he had seen it coming. Dante hadn't._

_He was in a daze as he looked down at his hands. Blood splatter. A knife. Where it came from, he didn't know. At his feet…_

_Putting his hand over his eyes, Dante threw his head back and let out a long, bitter laugh. Tears washed off the blood on his hand and they came down as red streams. He picked up the knife from the floor and hurled it to the side, where it punctured the wall and stayed there._

"_I know now, father. This cruel mafia you talked about. I'll show you… Mukuro as well. I'm no child. I'll show you that I'm not some naïve little boy anymore. You'll see."_

xxx

"He never did see me as his real son… he said he understood, but he never did know. It's your fault, Mukuro. If you hadn't stuck your nose into everything." Dante looked up with an almost sad expression.

"But it doesn't matter anymore… once you're all dead, it'll be complete. My revenge… and the Vongola will crumble, I'll find new guardians. I'll be at the top of the mafia underworld. That's when my dream will be complete."

None of the children had found the words to express their feelings. Even the Barbaro guardians were silent, despite their anger. Gokudera, who had been trembling slightly since Dante had finished, was the first to speak up.

"You know what? You're an idiot. There are plenty of people who don't have normal, caring parents. So what? You think that gives you the right to go around screwing with other people's lives? That's bullshit."

"I… I think I can understand," said Tsuna, his eyebrows knit with sympathy. "But… I agree with Gokudera-kun. I don't think this is right." He looked Dante straight in the eye. "Please… stop fighting, Dante."

"I don't want kids telling me what's right and wrong," Dante replied in a hard, cold voice. "I've been waiting for five years, you're not going to stop me now." He held up his sword, which burst into black flames. "I'll end you now, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

In a flash, he appeared in front of Tsuna, ready to swing, not giving the boy enough time to go into hyper dying will mode.

"Tenth!"

"Tsuna!"

_Clang!_

Dante recoiled in shock as his strike was met with a greater force. It wasn't from Tsuna, who still had his eyes closed in fear. "You…!"

"Kufufufu… I guess I owe you again, hmm, baby?"

"That's right, you do. You'd better return the favor when I ask."

Dante looked Mukuro up and down. "What happened to that wound? I'm sure I stabbed you through and through."

He glanced over to Reborn and Chrome. With them were Ryohei and Damian, both of them grinning. Dante grimaced. "…The sun's activation…"

"Isn't Mukuro-san just so awesome?" Ken said, earning skeptical glances from those around him.

Tsuna opened his eyes. "M-Mukuro? Wait, you can't fight like that! I-I'll…"

"Oh? I don't see you being in a great condition to fight either, Sawada Tsunayoshi," Mukuro replied. "Besides, this is more of my fight than yours, don't you agree?"

Tsuna only stared for a moment, but then he nodded. "Yeah. I… I'll leave it to you then, Mukuro."

Mukuro frowned as he watched Tsuna step off to the side. He turned back to face Dante with a smirk. "Well then… shall we begin?"

"What makes you think that you can beat me this time around, Mukuro? The result will be no different than last time."

"Really, now? We'll see."

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><p><strong>As said last chapter, thank you for the nice suggestions a while back! To be completely honest, I spent a lot of time thinking about how to get Mukuro to get back into action... and then I thought of sun flames, opened the computer, saw a review alert (Eiida-chan's)... ahahaha! Thanks, anyway! I appreciate it.<strong>


	19. Conclusion

**Very, very sorry for the week-long wait! It never feels good enough, though. *sighs***

**In any case, please enjoy! Thank you all for reviewing, and to those that don't review, for reading this far! Even though it's not all that many words.**

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><p>"Let's begin."<p>

Mukuro charged forward with his trident behind him, indigo flames emanating from the Vongola Ring, a confident smile on his face. His swing missed Dante's face by an inch. In return, Dante's sword nicked the edge of Mukuro's shirt as the boy took a step away. Without a second's break, they were back at it again. Metal clashed against metal until the impact forced the two backwards.

"A-amazing…" Roland murmured. "He's completely different from the last time we fought…"

Dante grinned. "You really are quite proud of your close quarters combat skills, aren't you? That elaborate trident of yours, as well." His face turned serious again. "Don't get ahead of yourself, though. You're up against a person with two flame elements."

The flames on his sword changed from black to orange. With one quick movement, Dante brought his weapon down onto Mukuro's.

Mukuro's eyes widened as his beloved weapon snapped in half. He leapt away from his opponent with a furrowed brow. Wiping away a trickle of blood from a small, vertical cut on his forehead, he asked, "What was that?"

"Sky flames have the attribute of harmony," Reborn explained. "In other words, it turned your weapon into stone, making it easy to break, meaning blocking with it is now useless."

"That's cheap," Gokudera growled. "Now it's not even a fair fight anymore."

"Hmph." Mukuro smiled as he tossed away the two pieces of his trident. "No more playing around, then. You have two flames… but I have six skills. Which one will come out on top?"

"Six skills, huh?" Dante grinned discreetly. "Interesting. Show them to me."

xxx

"Three."

Dante's eyes widened as at least a dozen snakes appeared out of thin air and surrounded him. "Snakes? An illusion…?" However he looked at it, though, they didn't seem to be a simple product of the imagination.

"No illusions," said Mukuro. "Those are genuine poisonous snakes."

Yamamoto smiled. "Ahahahaha! That's really amazing, Mukuro! Where'd you get those realistic snake puppets from? Did you make 'em yourself?"

Rayner looked up at Yamamoto skeptically. "That's…"

"Tch!" With a sweep of his blade, Dante tossed the snakes to the side. "You want to defeat me with a bunch of animals?"

"Oh? Who are you talking to?"

Dante whipped around to the source of the voice. Mukuro wasn't there. "Where did…?"

"One."

Mukuro suddenly appeared to Dante's right, a new trident ready in his gloved hands. But the moment Dante brought up his sword, coated with sky flames, the boy dissipated into mist particles.

"Four."

Before Dante could react, Mukuro took the chance to strike, his trident forming a long but shallow cut across the man's back. Dante staggered forward and turned around, a pained expression on his face.

"Extremely amazing!" Ryohei bellowed, throwing his fist into the air. "We can win this!"

Dante scowled. "Is that it, Mukuro? Is that all you're going to show me? Three little gimmicks?" he asked bitterly.

Casting a brief glance at Chrome, Mukuro replied, "That's all I'll use for now. Anything else will be a last resort. After all, these three skills… no, two skills, are enough to defeat you, Dante."

"Arrogant as always," Dante commented. "Haven't you seen what these night flames can do? I admit I don't have mist flames, but…" As his voice trailed off and his mouth curved up into a smirk, a small black flame kindled over his right eye. "Do you see what I mean?"

"Mukuro's fourth path…" Chrome whispered.

Mukuro frowned. "Yes, I see. How… inconvenient." He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "Nevertheless, I won't lose."

The two charged at each other simultaneously, weapons at the ready. As Mukuro made a move to swing, Dante raised his sword confidently, prepared to block. He didn't expect the trident to go _through_ his sword. He jumped back in the split second and received a minor wound on his cheek.

Mukuro gave his opponent no time to recover. The two were back to fighting in a flash.

"What happened there?" said Vincent breathlessly. "How did…?"

"Illusions," Reborn answered. "Mukuro's real weapon was broken before, so this one is an illusion. Normally, it would be a disadvantage, but in this case, he's using it to his advantage." He paused for a moment, letting the others register his words. "Mukuro weakened the illusion just as the two weapons were about to touch, letting it pass through Dante's sword, and the next moment, materialized it again to attack." The baby grinned. "That kind of coordination requires a lot of skill, but if it's Mukuro, he can pull it off."

"Geez…" Gokudera mumbled. "We came to rescue him and he's the one who gets the spotlight."

Tsuna smiled with relief. "Wow… Mukuro really is amazing." He gave Chrome a reassuring glance, and she nodded in return.

"Learn to trust your guardians more, Stupid-Tsuna. After all, the person who chose them for you was…"

Seeing Tsuna's questioning expression, Reborn pulled his fedora down with a smirk. "Oops. Can't tell you that yet. Anyway, pay attention to the fight. It's not over yet."

Mukuro and Dante were engaged in a close skirmish. Their metal weapons were blurs as they flashed back and forth. Dante was careful not to fall for the same trick twice; he dodged each attack with caution. Sidestepping, he swung his sword at Mukuro's neck, unknowingly creating a brief opening.

Mukuro ducked under the blade, preparing a fatal strike. His step faltered as he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.

Seeing his chance, Dante brought his blade down in a fast, diagonal slice, forcing Mukuro to retreat with a gash from his left shoulder to the right side of his ribcage.

"Mukuro!" Chrome called in horror. She would have ran to help him if Reborn hadn't stopped her.

"Why did he stop?" Damian asked in astonishment. The wound looked painful, and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.

Reborn frowned. "His previous wound wasn't completely healed. Even sun flames can only do so much."

Mukuro took short, strained breaths, his left hand on his new bleeding wound. And yet he still managed to keep a smile. "Hmph… just a little cut. I'm fine."

Dante sighed. "Okay, be a tough guy. It doesn't change anything."

"If you insist. I'm all finished warming up now. Shall I show you the true form of the mist?"

"You just finished with the _warm-up_? Ahahahaha!" Dante smirked. "Alright, then. Show me this mist of yours."

xxx

Mukuro started with a simple rush at Dante, who was standing still. The boy made a simple swing, which Dante easily avoided, followed by a thrust.

"What are you trying to pull, Mukuro?" Dante asked as he dodged each attack effortlessly.

"Nothing," Mukuro replied with a smirk that implied otherwise. He bent down on one knee and attacked with an upwards slash.

Instinctively, Dante stepped back. The next moment, pillars of fire burst in a circle around him, and more began to pop up in the room.

"W-whoa! Fire!" Tsuna exclaimed, covering his face with his arms. "It's hot!"

"It's an illusion, Useless-Tsuna," said Reborn. "Watch carefully and you might learn a thing or two."

xxx

In the middle of the raging illusion of flames, Dante looked around warily, squinting for any signs of Mukuro. He held his sword tightly.

When Mukuro emerged from the fire to his left for an attack, he was prepared. Dante's sword sliced through. An illusion.

Swearing under his breath, Dante turned around to face another illusion. Several. He smiled. "I won't fall for that kind of trick, Mukuro." Narrowing his eyes, he stabbed his sword to his right. "There!"

"Wrong. Try again."

The illusions faded out, revealing the real Mukuro. He hadn't moved since the illusions had started. With a smirk on his face, a four in his eye, and a trident in his hand, he slashed at Dante's arm.

"Tch! Don't get cocky!" Dante stepped around and swung his sword straight at Mukuro's head. No way to block.

"Kufufufufu… once you get caught in my illusion, you can't escape. You cannot win now, Dante."

Dante's eyes widened in realization. He looked down. The tip of Mukuro's signature trident protruded from his stomach. He dropped his sword. "Nngh…"

Withdrawing his weapon, Mukuro watched as Dante fell to his knees. He looked back at the others, who were not yet over their shock. "Well?"

Ryohei was the first to speak. He broke into a wide grin. "Alright! You did it, Mukuro! _Extreme!_"

"Wow!" Yamamoto laughed. "That was awesome!"

Aaron looked steadily at Mukuro. "It's really over…?"

"Hold it…" Dante struggled to his feet, despite the pain and skeptical looks from most of the guardians. "I still have one trump card… don't you remember?" With great effort, he ignited his ring again. "You four should know…"

"No…" Tsuna swallowed in fear. "That…?"

Chrome took a step forward. "No! Mukuro…"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Gokudera growled at Dante. "You're already defeated, so give up already."

Mukuro smiled like an innocent child. "You're free to do whatever you'd like, Dante. Go ahead." He closed his eyes and waited patiently, smirking in a teasing manner.

Dante stared at Mukuro in shock. "This… Why? How could…" He looked down at the ring. "How is it possible? You… don't have any fears? None?"

"Don't group me with Sawada Tsunayoshi and his friends. I am the master of my fear. The things I hold dear in this cruel world… I will never allow anyone to take them away from me. That is why."

"… I see. I admit my defeat, then. You win this game, Mukuro." He sighed and fell onto the floor in a sitting position. "What a fitting ending, hmm? For a boy that was born into the world unwanted…"

Before Gokudera could snap at him, Chrome spoke. "But… I don't think he hated you…." she said quietly. "I think that maybe it was because he cared for you that…"

She sniffed and wiped away a tear. Dante's expression of pure amazement gradually softened. "I understand," he said. "As the daughter of rich family who ended up being replaced by…" He glanced at Mukuro, who was getting irritated. "Can't you understand how I feel?"

Chrome shook her head. "No... I was really happy that Mukuro came. Because I had no one else to talk to, and my parents were always busy…"

"Yeah, kind of like me and Kyoko," Ryohei put in. "Our parents are away most of the time, but I don't mind if she's there."

"It's just me and my pops at home," Yamamoto explained, "But I'm usually with Tsuna and Gokudera or my other buddies on the baseball team."

"Idiots," Gokudera barked. "It's not 'me and', the correct way is 'and I'! Get your grammar straight!"

"Kufufu… come to think of it, that man reminds me of Sawada Tsunayoshi," Mukuro commented. "Both kind to a fault, never completely honest about themselves…" He smirked at Tsuna. "Only _he_ wasn't nearly as naïve as you."

Tsuna lowered his head with a blush, holding back the urge to sob. "W-when you put it all that way…"

"… I can finally see why." Dante managed a weak smile. "Did you plot everything out from the beginning, Mukuro?"

"Maybe."

"O-oh, right!" Tsuna looked at Reborn. "Everyone's still injured! We need to get to a hospital or something."

"Don't worry about that. Vongola's medical team is waiting for us outside." Reborn frowned. "More importantly… they're here."

Out of thin air, black smog seemed to appear. Tsuna shivered at the dark aura that instantly filled the room. Mukuro narrowed his eyes. Three tall, black figures emerged from the darkness.

Lambo took a step backwards. "G-gah! Scary!"

"Vindice."

Mukuro raised an eyebrow. "Avenger?"

"More or less. They are the enforcers of law in the mafia world, the judges of the underworld. One should never interfere with their work."

The men didn't reply. A chain extended forward and clasped Dante around the neck.

"W-wait a minute!" Tsuna yelled. "That's…"

"I told you, Tsuna, don't interfere," Reborn commanded. "You won't be able to do anything."

"But-"

"It's fine," said Dante. "I've been anticipating this moment for a long time. Leave it be, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"_We will now confiscate the rings_," the middle man said in a voice that seemed to shake the air. "_Bring them here._"

One by one, the Barbaro guardians tossed their rings down in front of the Vindice, until the five rings were present. The men didn't move.

"_There is still one held by the mist guardian, Cyrus._"

Everyone stared blankly at the avengers. Until they heard a familiar, annoying voice.

"Okay, you got me."

Cyrus materialized in front of the men and dropped off his ring. He ignored the incredulous stares from everyone around him. "There you go."

"Heh…" Dante grinned. "So you were alive, huh?" He closed his eyes. "Well… arrivederci, Vongola."

The Vindice stepped back into the darkness, bringing Dante with them. The rings faded along with the smog, leaving the space as empty as it was before, and leaving behind an empty feeling in their hearts.

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><p><strong>Just so you know, despite the chapter name, this is not the final chapter. Please review (or not) and stay tuned!<strong>


	20. Aftermath

**Well, chapter 20 is here. Well, first things first... this story is probably going to end in a few chapters. Sorry, and thanks for reading it through to the end! Well, when that comes. From here on out, it's basically humor, fluff, daily life, etc... yeah, that stuff. Sorry, though... it's pretty anti-climatic.  
><strong>

**Anyway, please enjoy this chapter! It's much more Chrome-centric now that the fighting is over. Please read and review! (The biggest thanks to Frost190, Eiida-chan, Gwendollion6996, and Maalm-18-86-yeah for your countless reviews! New reviewers would be nice too!)  
><strong>

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><p>"They're gone…" Tsuna mumbled.<p>

"W-well we won, Tenth!" Gokudera cried in hopes of cheering him up. "So please don't think too hard about everything!"

Yamamoto gave an encouraging smile. "It's over, Tsuna. We can go home now."

"Forget about that for now, Tsuna. There are people who need medical attention," said Reborn, just as Mukuro nearly stumbled over with a step, stabilizing himself with Chrome's help. "You've really been holding out until now, haven't you, Mukuro?"

Ken and Chikusa ran up to the two siblings. "Mukuro-sama," said Chikusa. "Are you alright?"

"Mukuro-san! I'll carry back to Kokuyo Land if you want!" Ken howled worriedly. "And we can get the special flavor of gum that came out yesterday! Or chocolate snacks, anything! Even a pine-"

"Hold your tongue, Ken, or you may not have one tomorrow." The boy shut his mouth and gulped, much to Mukuro's satisfaction. "In any case, I suppose I don't have much of a choice here, do I?" He winced at the pain and dizzyness. "Just like that time…"

Chrome gave him a worried look. "Mukuro… please don't talk anymore. You'll make it worse."

Mukuro nodded weakly in reply.

The medical team poured into the room through the entrance. They loaded Mukuro and the five heavily injured Barbaro guardians onto stretchers and lifted them out. Chrome, Ken, and Chikusa followed after Mukuro.

"Tsuna," said Reborn in a demanding voice, sending shiver's down the boy's spine. "Go with your guardians and get your cuts bandaged or something. I'm going to have a talk with him." He gave Cyrus a cold glare.

Tsuna nodded, despite the questions floating around in his head. He faced his friends, but he only found four of them, much to his surprise. "Huh? Where's Hibari-san?"

"He already left a while ago," the baby replied, holding up his gun. "Now go, or I'll kill you."

Tsuna obeyed, leading everyone outside frantically. No one had any objections.

Cyrus smiled innocently at Reborn. "So what's up, little guy?"

Reborn was visibly angry, his eyes slightly shadowed. "Who _are_ you? And what do you know about those rings?"

"Right to the point," the boy commented. "Well, the rings are supposed to be special 'cause they can be used with different types of flames, but apparently not many people besides the bosses can use them properly. If you can't, they'll suck your flames dry pretty fast. Something like that. Although it looks like the boss could do some pretty scary things with it, huh?"

The infant showed no signs of amusement, so Cyrus continued with a sigh. "As for me, I'm just your average kid Mafioso who happens to be an illusionist. The boss took me in as a guardian because of that, and I accepted because it sounded interesting, you know? Nothing special, really."

Reborn was silent for a moment. Then he let out a heavy sigh. "Forget it. Just know that you and the rest of the Barbaro guardians are now under the Vongola's supervision. Don't try anything funny."

Without so much as a goodbye, Reborn hopped off, leaving Cyrus alone in the room. The boy watched the little hitman leave with a soft, satisfied smile. "I don't mind. I can have fun that way. Hope to see you soon, little guy."

xxx

Chrome lay on her bed in the Sawada household once again, alone in the dark room. Mukuro had been dropped off in the hospital, where he would probably stay for the next few days. Ken and Chikusa had declined the offer to stay at Tsuna's house, and had left for Kokuyo Land.

Her mind swirled with thoughts and images, after the long, eventful day. She had already gone through the battle with Dante several times, despite the uncomfortable feelings it brought back.

She thought about Tsuna and his many friends. Gokudera was rough and sharp-tongued, but he was the most sympathetic when it came to her late family. Yamamoto was always there with a smile, somehow managing to cheer everyone up even after in the aftermath of the battle. Chrome admitted that although she wasn't always very comfortable around Ryohei, the boxer was kind-hearted and encouraging. Lambo usually didn't talk much, unless it was to complain, but he was a simple person.

As for Hibari, she didn't know what to think. He was solitary and aloof, constantly fighting with Mukuro and greatly feared by Tsuna. He had proved himself to be a decent person on several occasions, though. Even Chrome was surprised when Tsuna told her that it was Hibari that carried her to the hospital when Mukuro had been more or less abducted.

Tsuna himself was a great person, in her eyes. He cared for everyone, whether it was a friend, an enemy, or a complete stranger. He was very charismatic, considering his relationships with all of his guardians. Tsuna was dependable when they needed him the most.

She shifted her position again, unable to sleep. The one person that she didn't want to think about yet came into her mind. Mukuro. He was badly injured in the final battle, and it was mostly her fault. News about his condition hadn't come yet, and despite Tsuna's hopeful words, she was still worried.

Chrome missed his presence, and her inability to fall asleep made her miss it even more. She closed her eyes and recalled the blissful past, long gone.

xxx

_Nagi was standing in the middle of the dark hallway. She looked down at her silky white night gown, her lips pressed together in thought. Timidly, she knocked on Mukuro's bedroom door._

"_Who is it?"_

_She opened the door and peered in. Mukuro was sitting up on his bed with a loose white shirt. Seeing his little sister, he gave her a smile. "Ah, Nagi. Come in."_

_Nagi nodded. She stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind her. She lingered there for a while, unsure of what to do. She had finally built up the courage to knock, and now that courage had disappeared again._

"_Hmm? What do you need, Nagi?" Mukuro asked gently._

"…_Well…" Her voice trailed off. Nagi felt her face heat up in embarrassment. She considered leaving with a 'nevermind', but before she could, Mukuro spoke._

"_Could it be that you couldn't fall asleep?"_

_By her expression, he could definitely tell that he had hit the mark. Mukuro chuckled. "Well, if you'd like to talk, then take a seat," he said, gesturing to a chair next to his bed._

_Nagi snapped back into reality. "O-okay!"_

_She walked over to Mukuro, who was now sitting at the edge of his bed with his legs dangling off. She carefully took her seat, avoiding direct eye contact._

_Mukuro let out a short sigh. "Well, why can't you sleep, then? Is something bothering you, Nagi?"_

"_I… I don't know," Nagi answered honestly. "I just…" She closed her eyes and shook her head. "It's nothing… I'll-"_

_She felt a slender hand on her shoulder. It reminded her of that time, the hand that comforted her when she was down._

_With a faint blush on her cheeks, Nagi looked up at Mukuro. His eyes were calm, if not displaying a hint of amusement, as they looked into hers. She stared back in surprise, subconsciously looking at his right eye._

"_I thought so."_

_Mukuro grinned and looked away for a moment before standing up. Without warning, he bent down, slipped an arm under Nagi's legs and his other around her shoulders, and lifted her off of the ground._

_Nagi let out a yelp, frantically looking around for something to grab onto. "Mukuro-!"_

"_Shhh, not so loud," Mukuro said softly, looking down at Nagi with a smile. "You'll wake someone up."_

_She swallowed and tried to calm herself down. "B-but what…?"_

_Mukuro turned around and gently set the girl down on his bed. Nagi looked at him with a confusion plastered on her face, wide eyes full of questions._

"_You'll be sleeping here tonight," Mukuro informed plainly. Seeing her open her mouth in protest, he added, "No objections."_

"_I…" Nagi's expression of awe softened and she allowed herself a smile. "…Thank you."_

_Mukuro nodded. "Save your gratitude for later, hmm? Go to sleep now." He pulled the blankets over her and sat down beside the bed. "Sweet dreams, Nagi."_

_She closed her eyes gratefully, feeling warm and secure inside. Before she fell asleep, she took a last peek at Mukuro. To her surprise, his smile was gone, his eyes showing great concern for something she couldn't see._

_It was only a moment, so brief that Nagi didn't know whether it was real or not. But she was tired, and just knowing that he was watching over her sleep was good enough. That night, she had a long, dreamless slumber._

xxx

Chrome smiled and closed her eyes. The warm feeling she had felt that time still lingered for a while. She could imagine Mukuro beside her, watching as she slept. He took a ghostly appearance, but it was no doubt him. She heard him saying, "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Mukuro…" she murmured. "I'm glad…"

Mukuro put a finger over his lips. "No more talking, alright? Rest, my dear Chrome. I'm here."

She nodded, suddenly too exhausted to keep her eyes open. The last thing she saw was his soft smile. Soon, she was fast asleep.

xxx

Chrome, Tsuna, and Reborn ate their breakfast in silence. Nana hummed happily as she washed the dishes, passed out food, and talked, although mostly to herself.

"Hey, Tsuna," Reborn piped, devouring more rice. "Time to go to school."

Tsuna looked up from his food, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Huh? But it's ten minutes earlier than I usually leave…"

"Be quiet and go, Stupid-Tsuna. Or do you want me to drag you out?"

"I-it's fine, I'll go myself!" He set down his chopsticks and grabbed his bookbag. "Bye, Mom! Bye, Chrome!"

"Bye, Tsu-kun!" Nana called after him. She turned to Reborn and Chrome. "Also, Chrome-chan, are you going to visit Mukuro-kun in the hospital today?"

Before Chrome could answer, Reborn interrupted. "Yep. We're actually going now, Mama."

Nana beamed. "Oh, how nice! I'll have a nice lunch prepared for you two when you come back, okay? Say hello for me, too!"

"Okay. Ciao ciao, Mama."

xxx

Tsuna slowly made his way to school. "Man, why did Reborn chase me out like that?" he wondered out loud. "Ah… I didn't even get to finish breakfast…!"

"Tenth! Good morning!"

"Yo, Tsuna!"

"Extreme morning, Sawada!"

The three guardians walked up to Tsuna simultaneously. "Wha…? Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto, and Ryohei-senpai? What are you guys doing here so early?"

"Hmm?" Yamamoto looked confused. "Didn't the kid tell you?" Tsuna noted the large box that he carried.

Ryohei nodded. "Ah. I saw Master Pao Pao during my morning jog and he told me to meet everyone here."

"It's okay, Tenth," said Gokudera with a look of sympathy. "I know you probably didn't want to do this either, but don't worry! I'll protect you at all costs!"

Tsuna looked at each of his friends one by one. The more confused he was, the more concerned his guardians looked. "Guys… just _what_ are you talking about?"

"Oh, everyone's here. Good," said a small voice.

"C-c'mon! I don't wanna do this! He's really scary, you saw it! I-I'm still young! Gah, lemme go already!"

"Shut up, stupid cow. You're coming."

Reborn walked on top of the fence, dragging Lambo with him. Chrome followed shortly behind them, glancing worriedly at the crying boy.

Tsuna stared blankly at the three as they halted in front of him. "Reborn? What are you doing here? Lambo and Chrome too?"

"Noooo!" Lambo moaned as the baby hitman dropped him onto the floor. "Don't count me in on this, Vongola. Please. I-I have a loving family to live for… back in Italy, but still."

"What's going on?" Tsuna yelled hysterically. His mind had long stopped working.

Reborn frowned. "Are you thick? We're going to pay a visit to Mukuro, of course."

"Pay a visit to Mukuro," he repeated. His guardians nodded. "Whaaaat? Why didn't you tell me _earlier_, Reborn? I don't want to go, he'll kill us! A-and school! We'll be late for school!"

"Shut _up_, Useless-Tsuna." Reborn cocked his gun at the boy. "You're not going to school today. As the boss, this is more important. Gokudera, Yamamoto. You two are going to be in charge of getting Tsuna to the hospital. Drag him if you have to."

Tsuna gulped as his two closest friends turned their heads to look at him.

"I'm sorry, Tenth! Please forgive me for this!" Gokudera bowed in apology, and took Tsuna's right arm with a pained expression.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped," Yamamoto laughed as he took Tsuna's left arm. "Let's go, Tsuna."

"Noooooooooooooo!"


	21. Hospital

**9/15/11 edit: Okay, so I haven't updated in what, two weeks? Sorry. School's pretty busy, working on another story (Lingering Memories, 1st gen and 10th gen angsty fluff, read it if you have time ;3, I honestly love writing that a lot more), and I have some writer's block. So, again, sorry! I don't know when the next update will be, I've got about 1/3 of the next chapter written, but I'll probably have to go back and fix that a bit, too. I also apologize if this gave you a false alarm, I know it happens and I dislike it too. Thanks, stay tuned!**

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><p>"… This is that special mafia hospital that you were talking about, Reborn?"<p>

"Yep. What do you think?"

Tsuna and his five guardians stood in front of the hospital, looking it up and down. A several story-tall white building, not too flashy. It looked a lot like an apartment; Unlike most hospitals, it didn't have a sign indicating such.

"It looks… more normal than I thought it would be," Tsuna admitted. "But… it doesn't look like a hospital."

As they were about to enter, sudden shouting from inside startled the children.

"Come on, just let us in already! I told ya, all we want to do is visit someone!"

"Sir, you need to present an ID to enter. Do you even know where you are?"

"Yeah, the hospital that Mukuro-san's staying at! That's all we need to know! If you don't let us in, I'll just break in, dangit!"

"Ken, calm down for a minute. You're obviously not going to make it if you fight your way through."

"Grah, shut it, Kakipii! It's not like you have a better idea!"

Reborn smirked. "They sure got here fast. Well, hurry up and come in." He walked through the sliding doors and into the lobby while the others jogged to catch up.

Ken was being held by several burly men in black suits, trying to break free and shouting at the top of his lungs to no avail. He hadn't been able to use one of his channels before he was restrained.

Chikusa just sighed as he watched from the side, holding his glasses in place with a middle finger. He looked up as the Vongola Famiglia walked in, a bit of relief showing on his mostly expressionless face. "It's you…"

"Naa?" Ken stopped struggling and eyed Chrome. "Oh, it's you again… and you're here with those dopes? Geh… whatever."

The secretary's eyes widened as her gaze moved to the little hitman. "R-Reborn-san! Welcome to our hospital, it's an honor!" She immediately stood up and walked around the desk. She made a small bow. "Would you like me to escort you?"

"No thanks," Reborn replied smoothly with a polite tip of his fedora. "I know where to go. Although, these two kids are with us." He pointed at Ken and Chikusa. "You can let them through."

"Yes sir, of course!" the lady replied, signaling for the men to free Ken, which they did. "Please enjoy your visit!"

"Sure thing." Reborn continued forward, the large Mafioso bowing as he passed by. The others followed hesitantly.

They entered the waiting room, filled with chairs and sofas but not many people, unexpectedly seeing two more familiar faces.

"Aw, Kyoya, it's not that bad! Just say a word or two, you don't have to stay for long! Just a little greeting and a 'get well soon' or something, y'know? Come on…"

"…No."

"Oh man… why do you have to be so stubborn? Maybe if he were here… hmm?"

"D-Dino-san and Hibari-san?" Tsuna exclaimed as the former looked up and waved. "What are you guys doing here?"

Dino grinned. "Well, I met Kyoya yesterday, but he looked really injured and stuff. It turns out he just went home after the fight without getting himself patched up and all… so I brought him here to get treated. And right now, well…" He scratched his head. "Anyway, it's nice to see you guys again, little bro, Reborn, Chrome!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ken whined as he walked off with his hands stuffed into his pockets. "Kakipii and I are going ahead now."

"So, what were you just discussing with Hibari when we came in?" Reborn inquired, making himself comfortable on a nearby sofa.

"Eh, well… I was trying to convince him to pay Mukuro a little visit," Dino replied.

Everyone's eyes widened at the notion, particularly Lambo, who was almost quivering by then. Hibari's eyes narrowed slightly at his rival's name, but he was silent. Tsuna would have backed away if his two best friends weren't standing next to him.

Reborn sighed, giving Dino a disappointed look. "It's a good thing you didn't succeed, stupid student. Do you want someone to get more injured than they already are?"

Dino was clearly confused by the way he stared at Reborn with his mouth half open. "…Huh?"

"Forget it for now," the baby said with wave of dismissal. He looked up at the party behind him. "Tsuna, you guys go ahead for now. I'll catch up later."

"O-okay!" Tsuna looked at his friends, who were all being unusually silent. "Umm… let's go, I guess."

They nodded and proceeded to their destination

xxx

"… Boss? You're not going to come in?" Chrome asked with her hand on the doorknob.

Yamamoto was equally as confused. "Yeah, Tsuna. You should go in first… You know, being the leader of the team and all."

"The Vongola Famiglia is not a 'team', you idiot!" Gokudera corrected with a scowl. "But… he's got a point, Tenth. As the boss, you should enter first."

"I extremely agree, Sawada," said Ryohei with a straight face. He nudged Tsuna towards the door. "Don't be shy now…"

"Uh… yeah. You should go, Vongola. We'll be right behind you." Seeing Tsuna's betrayed expression, Lambo snickered mischievously

Chrome blinked. "I-I guess I'll just go in first-"

"_You're not getting out of this, Useless-Tsuna!_"

Tsuna spun around just in time to see Reborn flying at him. Before he could yell, the baby kicked him in the face and sent him through the door and into the room with a _bang_.

"Gyaaah!"

"… Oh my. What a lively entrance, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

The five guardians stared at their boss in shock and ran up to help. The sixth watched in pure amusement from his position on the white hospital bed. Ken and Chikusa were on the side, the former standing with his heart hammering and the latter sitting calmly.

"R-_Reborn_!" Tsuna yelled as he sat up, clutching his head. "What was that for? I didn't do anything!"

"You were being a useless idiot… as usual." Reborn stepped into the room with his short legs and smirked. "My 'get well' gift. Laughter is the best medicine, as they say. How do you like it?"

"Kuhahahaha! You're as amusing as always, baby."

Chrome giggled to herself quietly. Mukuro was doing better than she had thought; she hadn't heard that unique laugh of his in a long, long time. Although she couldn't help but to pity Tsuna, if even just a bit.

"Why me?" Tsuna cried in despair, ready to sob any moment. "Y-you guys are terrible!"

"Tenth! P-please don't feel too bad!" said Gokudera, though he looked just as heartbroken as his boss.

Yamamoto let out a cheery laugh. "It's nice to see you're good as always, Mukuro! I brought some sushi for everyone, too!" He held up the large box he had been carrying the whole time, making Ken drool and Mukuro raise an eyebrow.

"Come to think of it, we haven't celebrated out extreme victory yet," Ryohei pointed out. Just as he was about to suggest something, Reborn broke in.

"I've already planned one, of course. The day Mukuro's discharged from the hospital, everyone is going to gather at Yamamoto's house for a feast. I already told his dad."

"E-everyone?" Lambo stuttered, wide eyes glued on Reborn. "By everyone, you mean…"

The infant smirked and looked away. "Oh, you'll see. I'm sure you'll all enjoy it very much. Especially you, stupid cow."

"W-w-w-whaaaaat?"

"You're planning something aren't you, Reborn?" Tsuna accused with a finger pointed at the baby, who was still smirking. "I know that smile! You do have something up your sleeve, don't you?"

Yamamoto chuckled and patted the brunette on the back. "Hey, don't make the kid say it out loud, Tsuna! It'll ruin the surprise! Life wouldn't be fun without surprises, right?"

"You're one to talk about life," Gokudera commented with a scowl, "Since all that's in your head is baseball."

"Gah, stop talking about parties and stuff and give me the food!" Ken howled, his tongue hanging out on the side of his mouth hungrily. "Food!" He tried running forward, but found that he was being held back.

Chikusa pushed his glasses up with his left hand, his right pinching the edge of Ken's shirt. "Ken, that's for Mukuro-sama. This is a hospital visit, not a chance for you to fill your bottomless stomach."

"W-well, that's…"

Mukuro sighed, running a hand through his blue hair. He closed his eyes briefly, enjoying the moment of silence as everyone watched him. "Go ahead and eat whatever you'd like. Just do it outside, quietly. I want to have a talk with Chrome."

Ken's ears perked up. "We'll stay inside with you, Mukuro-san! Food isn't-"

He was interrupted by a clicking noise coming from Reborn's direction, making some of them jump in realization. The infant held his gun menacingly, glaring at Mukuro's two followers and then at Tsuna. "Everyone. Out. _Now_."

Lambo and Tsuna were the first ones out the door, followed by Ryohei, Gokudera, and Yamamoto, who cheerfully lugged his box of sushi along. Ken was still somewhat reluctant, but he exited with some prodding from Chikusa. Reborn was the last one, and with a curt nod, he left, closing the door behind him.

xxx

It was suddenly very quiet; the click of the door closing seemed to linger in the room. Chrome glanced from the door to Mukuro, who gave a warm smile. He gestured at the chair beside his bed. "Sit down, Chrome, there's no hurry."

Chrome nodded and took her seat, memories of the previous night flashing through her head. She pushed them away for the time being, taking the chance to take a closer look at Mukuro's condition.

He had bandages almost everywhere; the longest ones were wrapped over his chest and stomach, and a few patching his face and arms. He was able to sit up straight without any signs of pain, but that alone didn't mean much. Chrome knew that her brother was good at acting, but at least he was good enough to be able to talk and laugh.

"You really did get all your memories back, didn't you, Chrome?" Mukuro said out loud, although it seemed more like he was simply talking to himself. Nevertheless, she answered with a 'yes'.

Mukuro chuckled. "I see…" He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I suppose I should apologize now, hmm? I had hoped that you wouldn't have to remember that. Dante was right in a sense… It was a lie from the beginning. Chrome… no, should I call you Nagi now?"

"… No…" Chrome, seeing Mukuro's expression of surprise, for he hadn't expected to be interrupted, blushed lightly and shook her head. "S-sorry! It's just… you don't have to apologize. I'm… I'm happy being Chrome. Mother and Father are not here anymore, but I feel like I have a real family now. If I had never met you, Mukuro… I…" She sniffed and wiped away the thin stream of tears that flowed out of her left eye. "I'm just glad that I don't have to be alone anymore…"

She could no longer hold back. She cried into her sleeve, all of her feelings exploding all at once. "I'm just glad that you're alright… Mukuro…"

Mukuro carefully took hold of Chrome's arm and moved it aside. He reached over and wiped away the girl's remaining tears with his thumb. "If you want to cry, Chrome, then cry," he said softly. "But don't look so sad, alright? There's nothing to worry about anymore… It's over."

The boy grinned. "I wouldn't be so mean as to leave you all alone with the Vongola. What kind of brother would be then?" His eyes shifted to the door, then back to Chrome. "And you should learn to smile more, Chrome. You look so much cuter that way."

"Eh?" Chrome managed to squeak before her face turned a soft shade of pink. She was at a loss for words, gaping as Mukuro laughed and ruffled her hair with a playful smile. "M-Mukuro…!"

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized, still chuckling under his breath. "I am serious, though."

Chrome let out a quiet sigh, but she couldn't help but to smile a bit. Mukuro was back to his normal self, and that alone made her feel relieved. A regretful and apologetic expression didn't fit him. It just wasn't Mukuro.

"Hmm? Taking my advice already?" Mukuro teased, making Chrome nod in defeat. "Well, are you all right now, Chrome?"

"Yes," Chrome answered. "I… I'll be fine."

Mukuro smiled. "That's good, then. By the way…" He glanced at the small table beside his bed, more specifically at the ring on the desk. The silver Vongola Ring of the mist was as bright as ever. "I didn't have the chance to give that back to you before. So there it is."

Chrome blinked a few times, staring at the ring and then at Mukuro. "B-but that's really yours, Mukuro. I can't…"

"Why not? It's as much yours as it is mine, Chrome," he replied with a small shrug. "Besides, you can ignite it as well as I can. I can always get another ring."

"I know, but…" Chrome gave it a moment of thought. "I feel like you should keep it, Mukuro. It… feels right that way. I can't explain it well, but that's what I think."

Mukuro gazed steadily at her for a long while, his brain no doubt thinking hard about what she had just said. "… I see." His gaze slowly shifted to the Vongola Ring, and he stared at it for another while.

Finally, he seemed to reach a conclusion. With a sigh, he looked up and said, "How about this. You can take it for now, but if I ever need it back, I'll take it. You can think of it as just borrowing the ring, if you'd like, and returning it to me when I ask. Is that alright with you?"

She only sat there for a moment, her mind comprehending the proposition. It sounded… reasonable. Agreeable. Right. But… could there really be two mist guardians? That would have to depend on the Vongola boss. It would probably be the first time in history that the Vongola Famiglia had two of any one guardian…

"Chrome?"

"Y-yes?"

Mukuro frowned. "Did you come up with a decision yet? It's just a yes or no question. But I won't press you to answer, if you don't want to."

Chrome bit her bottom lip gently. "Well… isn't it really complicated? I mean…"

"Mafia rules and regulations?" Mukuro asked nonchalantly, shocking Chrome by his accuracy. He grinned. "My question was what you thought of it, Chrome, not the mafia world. Just answer honestly."

"I… I like the idea," she admitted. "I feel that it's right."

Mukuro nodded with satisfaction. "That's good. Now the mafia part comes in." He displayed a knowing smile, one that made Chrome curious as to what exactly he was thinking at the moment.

"W-wait a minute, Reborn! You can't just-"

The door opened and the baby stepped in, Tsuna and the others sitting in the hallway behind him and an empty box of sushi.

"Ciaossu, Mukuro, Chrome," said Reborn with a tip of his hat and a smirk. "I'm not interrupting something, am I?"

"Of course not, baby," Mukuro replied smoothly. "Although I'm sure you knew that already, hmm?"

Reborn walked over, making sure to close the door first, and hopped onto the table, beside the Vongola Ring. He picked it up and held it out to Chrome.

"Chrome, you keep the ring for now. About that, though, I'll have to ask the Ninth first. But I'm sure we can work something out."

"Problem solved," said Mukuro as she accepted the ring with a soft 'thank you'. "Easy enough, no?"

Reborn nodded. "Now, for the real reason why I'm here," he said, making Chrome widen her eye at the baby and Mukuro raise an eyebrow. He grinned and sat down comfortably.

"I have a proposal. Will you hear me out?"


	22. Bargaining

**Well, chapter 22 after a really long time! I'm a slow writer and there's so much to get done. I apologize, it's a rather short chapter, and probably the 3rd to last (2 more to go!). Anyway, please enjoy!**

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><p>Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto were silent as the others chatted away noisily, particularly Ken and Ryohei. Tsuna glanced at his two friends. Gokudera was scowling, but it seemed half-hearted compared to the usual. Yamamoto was grinning like he always did, but his eyes were somewhat distant and thoughtful.<p>

"Guys?" Tsuna whispered, careful not to be loud enough for anyone else to hear. "Are you okay?"

Yamamoto looked over with a bright smile. "Hmm? Sure I'm fine, Tsuna. I'm just thinking about… well, you know. That's all."

"I'm fine, Tenth! Please don't worry about me!" Gokudera cried passionately, although he knew to be quiet. In a moment, his scowl returned and he looked away. "But I can't tell if that guy is just pretending or not."

"G-Gokudera-kun…! That's…!"

Tsuna gulped and shut his mouth, realizing that he was being rather loud. The others didn't seem to notice, however, so he continued.

"Why do you always suspect Mukuro? I mean, he's kind of… well, bad sometimes, but Chrome trusts him, and I think she knows him the best."

Gokudera's brow was as furrowed as ever, uncertain of what to think. "But that's the thing, Tenth. He could just be acting like the nice guy around her. Who knows what he could be planning?"

"Now, now, Gokudera," said Yamamoto. "I think Mukuro's pretty nice. I mean, he's on our team, right? Doesn't that mean he's one of the good guys in the game? You know, like a hero or something."

"Does he look like the hero type to you, baseball idiot?" Gokudera growled, very irritated by the athlete's attitude and choice of words. "Don't you remember he tried to kill you and the Tenth when we first met?"

Tsuna shuddered at the memory of that fateful day. He had been held at trident-point, kicked in the face by Reborn, and forced to bring the two siblings to his house. It wasn't pleasant, but…

"W-well, anyway… I don't think Mukuro's really a good guy, but I feel like… we can trust him…" He corrected, "With some things. Sometimes. If we never do anything to Chrome."

Gokudera nodded. "I understand, Tenth. Your judgment is always the best. But I'll keep an eye on him, anyway."

"Hmm? What are you guys whispering about over there?" Ryohei asked innocently. "Something interesting?"

Yamamoto grinned and casually waved it off with a hand. "Nothing much, senpai! Just a little chat, you know?"

"Oh… ahahaha!" Tsuna scratched his head sheepishly. "I-it's nothing, onii-san! Don't worry about it!"

"Mind your own business, freakin' lawn head!" Gokudera yelled angrily. "It's got nothing to do with you, anyway!"

The four stared skeptically at them. Those reactions clearly indicated something suspicious; Tsuna was a bad liar, Gokudera tended to get defensive over these things, and Yamamoto would usually say it outright if it was really nothing. Clearly suspicious.

Ryohei shrugged and looked away. "Okay then. I'm not going to ask."

Lambo yawned and stretched back. "Whatever. Sounds boring anyway. Have fun chatting."

"You really are a bunch of idiots," Ken commented lazily. "Why does that stupid girl even hang out with you guys, anyway? Don't get it."

Chikusa silently touched the bridge of his glasses. "… I won't inquire any further. It would be… too troublesome…"

Just as Tsuna let out a short sigh of relief, the door opened again, making him jump. Reborn stepped out behind the boy, followed by Chrome.

"O-oh, Reborn," Tsuna muttered. "It's you."

"Of course it's me, Stupid-Tsuna," Reborn replied with a frown. "Anyway. Mukuro said he wants to talk to you, Gokudera, and Yamamoto privately before we head back."

Tsuna pointed at himself innocently, unaware of Gokudera's suddenly pale face. "Us? Why does he want to talk to us?"

"I don't know. Just hurry up and go."

Tsuna shrugged and complied, entering the room with Yamamoto and Gokudera behind him. Mukuro was still sitting up on his bed with the usual smirk present on his face.

"Why, hello, Vongola," he greeted, an amused glint evident in his heterochromatic eyes. Tsuna gulped. That wasn't a good sign. It never was.

"So, let's get right to the point." The blue-haired boy leaned forward, a shadow falling over his face. "Anything and everything you heard today is between you and me. Understand?"

Gokudera's head snapped up. "Y-you…! How the hell did you…?"

"Hehe, busted, huh?" Yamamoto commented with a grin, scratching his head. "You really are amazing, Mukuro. How'd you find out?"

Tsuna just gaped.

"Hmm… I have my ways," Mukuro replied. "But as long as you understand. If you so much as whisper a word to someone else, I will know. And I will not be happy. Understood, Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

"Y-yeah…" he managed to mutter. If he could have found his voice, he would have shrieked. But he couldn't even manage that.

Gokudera growled in a low tone. "You bastard… you're a Vongola guardian now, so have some respect for your boss, dammit!"

Mukuro narrowed his eyes at the other boy, but he simply shrugged. "If you want to see me as a Vongola guardian, then so be it. But don't expect me to follow any orders or fulfill any duties."

"You-!"

Yamamoto chuckled and patted his friends on the back. "Well, at least he's on our side. We should just be happy he's not our enemy, right?"

"I-is he really on our side?" Tsuna mumbled to himself dejectedly.

"In any case, if you have nothing more to say, then you can leave now," said Mukuro. He smiled a bit, a rather mischievous smile. "And make sure you take good care of Chrome. Or else…"

Tsuna nodded vigorously, waving his hands out in front of him. "O-of course I will! … _We_ will! Y-you don't have to worry!"

Mukuro nodded in reply with a look of satisfaction. "Good."

Gokudera was irritated to a point of speechlessness, his eye twitching irregularly.

"Now, now, Gokudera…" Yamamoto chuckled and patted the boy on the back. "It's not healthy to be angry all the time, you know. Besides, you can't really blame him for caring about Chrome, right?"

"That's not the point… baseball idiot…"

Tsuna gave a sideways grin. "U-umm… I think we should be going now… hahaha…"

Yamamoto waved. "Seeya, Mukuro! Hope you get better soon!"

Mukuro watched with a grin and an amused glint in his eye as the three left. "Kufufufu…"

With a sigh, he closed his eyes and leaned back into the pillow. Soon, he was asleep, his bandaged chest heaving with each gentle breath he took.

xxx

"I'm so exhausted…"

Chrome gave her boss a glance. She noticed that he seemed rather worn out, sprawled on his bed, despite the visit being rather short.

"How pathetic, Useless-Tsuna," Reborn scolded. "All you did today was whine. You didn't even go to school today."

Tsuna looked up. "School?" He thought for a moment. "Hiiiieee! That's right, we skipped school today! Crap, what did you do, Reborn?"

"Oh, you don't have to worry, Stupid-Tsuna," the baby replied. "I already talked to the principal about that, so you won't be marked for cutting class."

"R-really?"

Reborn's mouth curved up into a smirk. "Of course, that means I'll be teaching you everything you missed today."

Tsuna's jaw dropped. "W-wait a minute, Reborn! That's not fair!"

The hitman grabbed Tsuna's hand, making the boy fall off of his bed and onto the floor in pain. "Since when did you learn to talk back to me, useless student?"

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" The brunette howled with tears coming out of his eyes. "S-stop it, Reborn! Please!"

"R-Reborn-san, please don't hurt Boss too much," Chrome pleaded. Just watching made her feel bad.

Reborn sighed and let go. "You really are pathetic, Tsuna. You're supposed to be the one protecting your subordinates, as the boss, you know. Try to learn something from Dino."

"You can't expect me to be like Dino-san, Reborn…" Tsuna rubbed his throbbing hand. "Ouch… Thanks a bunch, Chrome. Haha…"

She shook her head. "It's nothing, Boss."

"Anyway, Chrome, do you want to join in on the studying?" Reborn kindly offered. "You may want to try learning this stuff now." She nodded, the baby glanced at Tsuna. "And I'll hold off on the explosives this time, so you should be grateful, Useless-Tsuna."

Tsuna stared skeptically. "R-really? No blowing up the room whenever I get a problem wrong?"

"Nope. Because there'll be a different method of punishment, just for you…"

The sadistic little hitman hefted his green 1-ton Leon hammer with a grin.

"Let's start."


	23. Surprise

**Well, first of all. I'm SO sorry for not updating in so long... (what, 2 months?) This is a relatively short chapter again, I guess... The thing is, I actually wrote this a while ago, but I was planning to make the chapter longer. In any case, it's pretty short... filler-ish... stuff. But the next chapter will come sooner! As of now, two more chapters to go! (Longer ones, I promise.)**

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><p>"Get up, Useless-Tsuna. It's Monday."<p>

"I know, Reborn… Just let me sleep for a few more minutes…"

"I said _get up_, Useless-Tsuna."

"I know, I know! Just a little while longer… _Gah!_ O-okay! I give up! I give up!"

"Good. Now hurry up, or I'll crack your head open."

xxx

"Oh, good morning, Boss," Chrome greeted.

The brunette walked into the kitchen in a slump, Reborn on his shoulder, and she noticed his puffy hair seemed messier than usual. The boy returned the greeting, sighed, and sat down.

"My, my, Tsu-kun," Nana scolded, setting his breakfast in front of him. "You should really try to learn from Chrome-chan. She woke up early this morning and even helped with breakfast!"

Chrome nodded, her face visibly pink. Tsuna managed give her a smile, and she returned it.

"By the way, I heard some shouting upstairs. Is everything okay?"

"Fine," Tsuna grunted, giving Reborn a glare. The baby ignored it and innocently drank his morning espresso.

They ate in relative silence, Tsuna trying to eat as fast as possible as to be sure he wasn't going to be bitten to death. Chrome gave him a few glances, but he didn't notice.

Tsuna finished up and wiped his mouth. "Okay, I'm going now." He slung his bag onto his shoulder. "See you later, Mom, Chrome."

"Bye, Tsu-kun!"

After a while, when Tsuna was down the street and out of sight, Reborn sighed and looked up at Chrome.

"That Stupid-Tsuna. He really didn't notice at all, did he?"

She shook her head. "B-but Reborn-san, are you sure this is…?"

"Sure it'll be fine," the baby answered. "Not counting Tsuna and the others, Mukuro's going to be there too, isn't he?"

Nana looked over her shoulder with a smile. "Oh, that's right! Mukuro-kun is being discharged from the hospital today, isn't he? So everyone's going to be at Yamamoto-kun's house for dinner."

"Yep, Mama. By the way, Chrome, you should get going now so you're not late. Do you remember how to get there?"

"Yes," Chrome replied. She stood up. "Ah… thank you for the meal, Nana-san."

The woman waved it off, saying it was nothing. "And bye, Chrome-chan and Reborn-kun!"

Reborn nodded. "Ciao, Mama."

xxx

"Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Here," Tsuna called out. He yawned and laid his head down.

The teacher finished calling attendance and stood up. "Good, everyone is here today. Now, before we begin class, we have two new students today who will introduce themselves. Please come in, Rokudo-kun and Dokuro-kun."

_Rokudo and Dokuro…? That sounds really familiar, somehow… _Tsuna thought. _Huh, blue hair… where have I…?_

"W-_Whaaaaaaaaaaat?_" Tsuna shrieked, jumping out of his seat. "W-wait a minute! You're…!"

"Kufufufufu… Oh, it looks like someone is very glad to have us here already," Mukuro mocked.

The teacher gave Tsuna a look. "Sawada! Be quiet and sit down."

Tsuna gulped and did as he was told. His face heated up, both from shock, the roaring laughter in the class, and the provoking smirk directed at him from the front of the room. "S-sorry sensei," he muttered. And out of the corner of his eye, he swore he saw Reborn outside the window, getting the whole thing on video.

"Now, if there are no more interruptions," (cue more laughter), "I'm Rokudo Mukuro. It's a pleasure to be here… especially in the presence of so many cute faces." He gave the whole class a wink, making the girls gasp.

"He's so cool…" someone murmured dreamily.

"Hey, but isn't he the guy who was fighting Hibari-san a while ago…?"

"He's strong and handsome!"

"Rokudo-sama!"

Gokudera narrowed his eyes at Mukuro. "Mukuro's definitely up to something… that pineapple bastard… He better not try anything with the Tenth…"

The teacher cleared his throat, quieting down the class. "Er… Thank you, Rokudo-kun. Then, Dokuro-chan, please introduce yourself."

Chrome nodded. "Ah… My name is Dokuro Chrome. It's very nice to meet you…" She bowed, discreetly giving Tsuna an apologetic look.

"Dokuro Chrome?" someone muttered. "What a weird name…"

"But she's really cute… and the quiet type too…"

"_Ahem._" Mukuro smirked, giving the class a dangerous glare. "Please, let's continue, shall we?"

As the rest of the class was having mixed feelings, most of the boys cringing, some of the girls nearly fainting, and a few of the others feeling jealous already, Tsuna and Gokudera felt themselves getting the urge to face-palm. Only one person actually laughed.

"Ahahahaha!" Yamamoto grinned. "You're as funny as always, Mukuro."

_Why do I get the feeling this isn't going to be good?_ Tsuna whined internally.

The teacher nodded. "Okay, then, please take your seats in the back of the room and we'll begin class today."

They complied. On their way, they received various looks from everyone in the classroom. And so began math class.

xxx

"Mukuro!" Tsuna yelled the moment class was over and lunchtime began.

Mukuro smirked. "My, my, how loud. Why the rush?"

"You bastard," Gokudera growled, ready to pull out dynamite any time. "What is a guy like you going to school for, anyway? You're not planning to do something to the Tenth, are you?"

The blue-haired illusionist shrugged nonchalantly. "It was the baby's idea."

_Reborn! I knew it!_ Tsuna exclaimed internally with despair.

"The kid?" Yamamoto asked innocently. "What did he want?"

"He didn't say. Not that that baby ever likes to talk about these things."

Tsuna gave Mukuro a confused look. _That's definitely like Reborn, but… not like Mukuro at all. Just a while ago, I'm sure he would have said no… Did he accept because…?_

"Don't get me wrong, Sawada Tsunayoshi," Mukuro said abruptly, as if reading the young mafia boss' thoughts. "I'm not here because the baby asked me to, nor because I forgive your filthy mafia." He glanced briefly at Chrome. "The only reason I'm here is to watch over Chrome. Nothing else."

Said girl blushed and looked away. She gave her boss another sheepish glance, as if to apologize in place of Mukuro. Tsuna acknowledged this with a bit of a smile.

"Hey, also," said Gokudera to Chrome, "Are you going to be okay with being in this class? I mean, it's a grade higher than what you're supposed to be in, right?"

"Oh, you don't have to worry, Gokudera Hayato." Mukuro smirked. "Chrome will be fine; she's far smarter than that "no-good" boss of yours. And he still passes, somehow."

For a second, Gokudera only gaped. The next, he opened his mouth to yell: probably something obscene. Fortunately for the five of them, Yamamoto covered his mouth before the words came out. Muffled angry sounds didn't reach that far.

"G-Gokudera-kun! We're in school!" Tsuna whispered urgently. Thankfully, it made the storm guardian calm down a bit, but he still hissed at Yamamoto angrily.

Chrome tugged her brother's shirt sleeve. "Mukuro…"

She didn't say anymore, but it was clear what she meant from the expression on her face. Mukuro sighed and nodded.

"And," she added, "What Reborn-san told us…"

The illusionist nodded and turned to the three friends. "There was something the baby asked, as well. I personally would rather not, but… He requested that we hide the fact that Chrome and I are siblings. Considering that it may lead to many unnecessary questions concerning... some unnecessary matters."

"Like hell that's gonna be easy, with that big act of yours this morning," Gokudera scoffed. "Who's gonna believe that you two are just two random people who don't know each other when you're so damn protective, Mukuro?"

"I never said we were supposed to be strangers, now did I? I'll leave it to you bunch to decide."

Yamamoto grinned. "How about cousins? That sounds good! Haha, it's like some kind of spy role-play game, isn't it? With fake names and identities and everything. I've always wanted to try something like that!"

Tsuna and Gokudera stared at their friend skeptically. Even after everything, he was still stuck on the idea of role-playing. Chrome, however, giggled quietly. Mukuro noted this with a smile.

"Well then, that's that. Kufufufu… I'm sure this experience will be very… interesting."

"D-don't say it like that…!" Tsuna whined. He turned away, looking quite dejected. "I just want a simple, normal life…"

"T-Tenth!" Gokudera stuttered helplessly. "P-please don't…"

Yamamoto laughed and gave Tsuna a hearty slap on the back. "Aww, come on, Tsuna! Isn't it more fun this way? The more the merrier, isn't it? Just relax and enjoy! I'm excited for the party later today, too!"

The brunette gaped. "The party! I completely forgot about that!" _Reborn definitely has something up his sleeve for that! I know it! I just know it!_

Mukuro's smirk grew wider. "Kufufufufu… It seems we're in for a very interesting day indeed."

xxx

"Where did that pineapple bastard go?" Hibari demanded with a snarl. "Tell me. _Now_."

Tsuna cowered up against the cream-colored wall of the school, hands held out in front as a sign of surrender. "I-I don't know, H-Hibari-san! H-he just left a while ago with Chrome!" The prefect narrowed his eyes, making the poor boy squeal. "Hiiiiie! P-please don't bite me to death! I really don't know!"

"… Hn. Pathetic herbivore."

Hibari lowered his tonfa and turned to leave. Hibird, seeing that its master was finished, fluttered down and nestled comfortably in his black hair.

He couldn't help but to smirk, albeit irritably.

_That baby… He really is…_

* * *

><p><strong>-.- Yeah, that's it. Sorry. Uh... probably more cliffhanger-y than necessary, so I'm sorry again if anyone hates that. Review, though? Or not.<strong>

**(Advertisements) In the span of time from my last update to now, wrote 2 oneshots and updated my other story once or twice! Read, if you'd like! I would be really happy if you looked at any of my two most recent updates, since I'm a lot more proud of those than I am of this. Thanks!**


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